System and method for resource management

ABSTRACT

A system uses an intelligent load controller for managing use of a consumable resource at an associated load. The controller has a resource measuring component for measuring the rate of use of the resource by the associated load, including measuring at least one of an instantaneous usage rate and a usage rate over an integration period and a load status component for receiving load status data for the associated load. The controller also has a communication component for receiving control messages from and sending load status messages to other associated controllers; a memory for storing a load control goal set; and a load control computer program responsive to the resource measuring component, the load status component, the control messages from other associated controllers and the load control goal set, to determine a load operating level for, and provide control commands to, the associated load.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 11/860,974, filedSep. 25, 2007, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,873,441 on Jan. 18, 2011, whichis based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/826,857filed Sep. 25, 2006. The priority of both of these prior applications isclaimed and they are incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the fields of resource usage measurement andmonitoring, mining measurement data to find waste and usage control fordevices using electricity or other energy or consumable resources, suchas water or gas. More particularly, the invention relates to the use ofcomputers integrated with logic controllers and communicationstechnologies for measuring, monitoring, estimating and managing resourceuse optimization.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Utilities worldwide have for many years been seeking to have control ofthe energy consumption of their customers and adjust the consumption tomatch the utilities' generation and supply capacity. Measures have beensuggested and introduced by utilities to achieve the above but, to date,the measures taken have not satisfactorily solved the problem. Consumersand commercial users have also been seeking a way to minimize wastedenergy (or gas and water), reduce their monthly costs, take advantage ofutility rates that vary during the day or week and otherwise maximizeefficiency and device usage while accomplishing their business orhousehold objectives. For both utilities and users, minimal success hasbeen achieved, but a satisfactory comprehensive solution has not beenfound for discovery of resource waste and enabling utilities and usersto make informed decisions about managing energy waste. Many companyofficers, when questioned about how and where energy is wasted, simplyhave no answer and thus no ability to improvement energy management.

A system that would give the resource user (buyer) a means toautomatically, without undue impact on business or household objectives,control energy or other resource usage, eliminate waste and realizesavings in monthly bills would be desirable. Such a system would also bedesirable because it would provide one or more benefits: less energy orother resources wasted, less pollution for the environment, and, forelectrical energy, fewer new transmission lines and new power stations,fewer blackouts, lower spinning reserves and/or other production anddistribution advantages. Further, for large commercial users, who maynegotiate rates and usage levels with provider utilities, having theability to reduce and control resource usage places the user in a morefavorable bargaining position. In addition, a system that would give auser more information about resource usage may permit the user tounderstand better the way resource use is related to achieving userbusiness or household objectives. This better understanding may assistthe commercial user in identifying waste, planning coordinated use ofloads and achieving more efficient use of loads and related labor inbusiness processes.

Current systems for resource use measurement and control are generallypiecemeal. They provide too little information, too slowly and/or lackadequate intelligence for automatic control and require the user toclose control loops. They also lack suitable control options. Simplyturning off equipment will save energy, but this is not consistent withbusiness process requirements. Resources must be saved, where possible,with minimum adverse effects on the business process (or consumer)goals.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Among the benefits of the system described are monitoring consumersystems for electricity, water and gas use data that can be mined todiscover wasted energy and automatically devising means to avoid thiswasted energy and at the same time improve the efficiency and quality ofthe resource use, reduce costs, and prevent some of the common types ofblackouts, The system also keeps the resource consumer and the utilitybetter informed. The system further provides means for both the resourceconsumer and the utility to co-operate and control the resource for thebenefit of both, as well as to benefit the environment and nationalresource policy. Because the system offers effective use controls, autility may reduce wasteful energy reserves, distribute energy moreeffectively, improve the stability of the distribution system andeliminate the immediate need for further generation capacity or supply,by making good use of otherwise wasted energy mined out of the usersites. The system may also have other benefits and capabilities, such asbetter financial planning, energy trading, problem identification andprevention, fault detection, outage detection and management, demandside management (DSM), tariff change notification, and others mentionedbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system for energy management.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a control center of a system forenergy management.

FIG. 3 a is a schematic block diagram of a customer site with a remotemanagement server (RMS) and multiple remote management controller (RMC)components for a system for energy management.

FIG. 3 b is a simplified sample of a load use profile report for theloads of FIG. 3 a.

FIG. 4 is a schematic component diagram of a remote managementcontroller (RMC) component of a system for energy management.

FIG. 5 is a schematic component diagram of a remote management server(RMS) component of a system for energy management.

FIG. 6 a is a simplified example of a load operating plan.

FIG. 6 b is an example power factor control goal for use in an energymanagement system.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing high level system configuration andoperation steps for an energy management system.

FIG. 8 shows a pair of resource use rate vs. time graphs illustrating anexample of a displacement strategy for an operating plan in an energymanagement system.

FIG. 9 is an example of a graph showing for a 24-hour period anhistorical resource usage pattern, a resource control goal set and anoptimized resource usage pattern resulting from use of an energymanagement system.

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a system for electrical powermanagement with two remote management servers (RMS) and multiple remotemanagement controllers (RMC) showing the power delivery lines to loadsand the communication channels and controller components for an energymanagement system.

FIG. 11 is a tabular representation of parameters used in a load levelintelligent controller (RMC).

FIG. 12 is a tabular representation of parameters used in a group levelcontroller (RMS).

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the transfer of an availableamount of resource use from one load to another.

FIG. 14 is a high level flowchart for a method of billing a user of thepresent system based on savings relative to an historical benchmark.

FIG. 15 is a diagram of fields and functions for a resource userdisplay/decision/control screen provided by the present system.

FIG. 16 is a diagram of fields and functions for a utilitydisplay/decision/control screen provided by the present system.

FIG. 17 is a simplified diagram of loads and control nodes with KWHresource consumption levels representing sample audit data provided bythe present system and usable by the a customer or a utility.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Introduction. The present energy management system assists customers ofutilities that purchase a resource such as electrical energy, gas orwater to control and make more efficient their use of such resources.The fundamental form of resource use control exercised is to reduce theconsumption rate of one or more resource-consuming loads at specifiedtimes by changing the operation of the load, including moving its starttime, adjusting it to a lower consumption or operating rate or removingit entirely from operation (shedding), either for an extended period orfor intermittent intervals. However, all users have some objectives theyexpect to achieve by using their resource-consuming loads. For businessusers, these objectives may include production tasks directly associatedwith revenue, such as producing X units of product A by date a/b/c. Forother business users, important objectives may be providing anacceptable environment for employees delivering services and for theircustomers and also for information processing and communication systemsthat are used in real time and/or for back-office type processing ofinformation essential the business services. For a food wholesaler andretailer, the business objectives include warehouse and retail levelfood storage at appropriate temperatures and efficient receiving anddistribution of food items requiring specific environments. Heating,cooling, lighting and sanitation systems all use resources, and theirefficient use is of interest to household consumers and commercial userswho manage residential buildings, office buildings or productionfacilities of various kinds.

The present system addresses the need to make resource use moreefficient while permitting a user to pursue business or householdobjectives by improving both information and control. The present systemprovides at one or more loads means for measuring resource consumption,means for measuring a variety of status data for a load or itsenvironment that are relevant to its efficient operation, and means forcontrolling operation of the load in accordance with the user's definedoperating objectives. The system implements user operating plans thatembody user objectives and uses control goals to monitor and/or limitthe pursuit of the defined operating plans. Both the defined operatingplans and the control goals may be adjusted. In a system with multipleloads, the granularity of measurement of resource use may be at thelevel of individual loads or even controllable subsystems of such loads.This produces a wealth of measurement data that can be used for realtime control as well as stored and mined to identify waste or patternsthat enable better management of complex equipment networks. Themeasurement and control is largely automated, because the complexity ofa multi-load system, with complex and changing operating plans for eachload, and the need for coordination between operating plans at variousloads and for applying multiple control goals and the presence of manymessages make adequate human control difficult, particularly fortime-critical decisions. However, the system may also provide the systemusers and resource suppliers (utilities) information focused on one ormore loads or load groups and their particular conditions and controlgoals, and offer certain control options, permitting humandecision-makers to adjust operating plans and/or control goals and takeother actions in view of business or household objectives.

Power utilities monitor and control their networks using SupervisoryControl And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. The SCADA areas ofresponsibility are traditionally divided into the following areas:Generation, Transmission and Distribution. The term “visibility” is usedto express the degree to which the utility is able to monitor thecondition of its network. Most power utilities have fair visibility fortheir Generation and Transmission infrastructure, but very few powerutilities have good Distribution visibility. The present system adds onemore category, namely Sub Distribution SCADA, which monitors andcontrols that part of the network which is between the DistributionSubstation and the end users premises. Currently, if there is a problemon the Sub Distribution section of the network, power utilities placerecorders on the network and monitor for a few weeks before undergoing alengthy analysis. This process may be repeated several times beforeidentifying a potential solution, if the problem can be identified atall. The solution proposed with the present system allows a costeffective solution that enables the monitoring and controlling of thesub Distribution and Distribution networks, while also providing thepower utilities real-time load control, which improves the security andreliability of their networks. The cost of any system to measure andmanage a resource must align with the value of the savings achieved. Formany situations, system cost must be less than the value of 12 months ofenergy savings to be viable. The system described herein is acomprehensive and integrated solution to achieve low system costs.

A resource control goal for the system may be defined in various ways.In one embodiment, the control goal is a user-selected budget by amountof the resource or by cost of the resource for a specified time period(such as a day, week or month). (Amount and cost may not be directlyequivalent where rates may vary according to the time of usage.) Inanother embodiment, the resource control goal is defined by criteriarelated to a maximum instantaneous peak resource usage (e.g., fractionof a second) or other short period (e.g., seconds) or usage for anintegration period on the order of five to thirty minutes which may varyby time of day. In a further embodiment for a production facility, thereis an underlying operating plan that has some production or outputobjective, e.g., achieving a production or output level for a definedperiod, for example, in a process where the resource is used for heatingto a high temperature or cooling to a low temperature, or pumping,grinding, compressing, metal plating or other work that consumes theresource and is directly associated with production/output results.Here, the resource control goal and the operating plan may come intoconflict and the system has the capability automatically to givepriority to one or the other (e.g., adjust the production/output goaldownward in order to achieve the resource control goal) or to presentthe priority choice to a human decision-maker. The decision-maker isprovided with information on the options and the impact on the resourcecontrol goal and the operating plan.

In a still further embodiment, the control goal is defined primarily bynegotiation with a utility that supplies the resource and seeks to planits capacity needs. The dimensions of such a negotiated control goal maybe multiple, including peak usage limits, minimum payments for definedperiods (effectively defining a minimum usage level), rates contingenton usage levels and specific times, usage levels that trigger loadshedding rights for the utility or that call for the user to transfer tothe utility resources from the user's storage or generating capacity.The utility also may negotiate shedding demand rights based solely onits own situation, with the user forced to accept penalties it ifresists the demand. These kinds of control goals may present a businesswith economic choices that need to be verified against businessobjectives. Users often make incorrect intuitive decisions in thesesituations. The present system assists in formulating and evaluatingsuch choices in specific economic terms. For many situations, thepresent system can provide an automated solution in which themeasurements are the basis for rational decisions about reducing anentity's resource use without adversely affecting business objectives.

In some embodiments, there are multiple goals that can be pursuedconcurrently or multiple goals that are pursued concurrently until aconflict is encountered, at which time assigned priorities determinewhich control goal(s) or business objectives are pursued. Thus, acontrol goal set with priority rules is defined, and it becomesimportant to have computer tools to manage monitoring the multipledimensions of the goal, monitoring external conditions that may affectone of the monitored dimensions and optimizing planned actions oremergency interventions taken that may affect multiple dimensions.Historical usage levels are relevant to setting a control goal, but thesystem anticipates discovering significant waste. With betterinformation, a user will define operating plans that sufficiently changeresource usage levels and time frames of resource usage such that thenew, more efficient usage patterns may differ significantly fromhistorical patterns.

FIG. 9 is a graph with three curves showing an example of how a simple(two dimensional) resource control goal set may be defined. The solidline historical use curve 910 represents some measure of historicalresource usage (e.g., kilowatt hours of electricity per integrationperiod) over a 24-hour period (indicated in the horizontal axis bymilitary time), which the user wishes to improve. (Each 24-hour periodmay be divided into consecutive integration periods, e.g., fifteenminutes or any other period the utility may decide. FIG. 9 shows anexample of two consecutive integration periods at 940, 941.) The solidline curve 910 also shows vertical spikes (e.g., spikes 912, 914)representing instantaneous peak values that occurred, typically duringequipment start-up, when resource use is increasing. Because utilitiestypically charge major users based on both a maximum instantaneous peakpower (over any one integrating period during any billing period) andlevels of steady-state consumption, with different rates for peak andnon-peak periods, a control goal set that addresses each of thesefactors can be more effective. The lighter, solid, straight lines 920 inFIG. 9 represent a possible control goal set based on steady-state poweruse, as measured over some integration period (e.g., fifteen minutes)for four different time ranges: midnight to 0500 hours; 0500 hours to1600 hours; 1600 hours to 2100 hours; and 2100 hours to midnight. Theheavier, solid, straight lines 922 represent a possible instantaneouspeak power use control goal set for the same four different time ranges.(It should be noted that several spikes on historical use curve 910would violate the limit defined by goal line 922.)

After study of its business objectives and current load use pattern, theuser will identify waste and may develop operating plans designed tomeet business objectives but keep both instantaneous and steady-stateusage levels below the limit values defined by the two sets of straightlines in FIG. 9. If a control goal is based on negotiations with autility, any failure to do so may cause a financial penalty or the riskof some load shedding under the control of the utility. The dotted linecurve 930 represents a possible improved usage level (including spikesrepresenting instantaneous peak values) resulting from an operating planand use of control goals over a 24-hour period, which the user achievesby finding waste and using all or a portion of the system describedherein. If the operating plan is well-designed because it removes wasteand uses informed predictions of external conditions, knowledge of loadcharacteristics and data on how various load operating levels can affectproduction or other user goals to keep resource usage below bothinstantaneous and steady-state limit values embodied in control goals,the user will achieve its objectives and may have the economic benefitof lower monthly bills. The utility may have lower capital costs andless need to contract for expensive additional power resources.

To provide resource use control and optimize production/output definedin user objectives, the system uses programmable controllers at thelevel of individual loads and also at higher control levels, responsiblefor managing multiple loads. One function of the controllers atindividual loads is to measure instantaneous and steady state levels ofresource usage by the load and to communicate to the system all or aportion of the measurements. These measurements provide the foundationfor evaluation of current load use to identify waste at specific loads,for designing changes in operating plans and for real-time controlevents.

The system controllers store or have access to load profile informationon the characteristics of each load to be controlled: e.g., start-upusage pattern, steady-state usage patterns; control options based onspeed, pressure or other selectable operating parameters; and productionor output levels based on usage cases under various possible loadoperating rates or levels from minimum to maximum. These data are oftentaken from manufacturer's specifications, but they may also be based onobservation of actual usage patterns and measurement of parameters,particularly where unique factors of a user's business determineproduction or output. The system also monitors load status data that mayindicate operating problems (e.g., reduced operating efficiency) orpossible actual or impending failures at loads, such as temperature,speed, critical pressures or dimensions or other parameters at the load.These can be used to spot load situations that may affect resource usageand/or simply to monitor the load as an asset that affectsproduction/output and the failure of which may affect an operating plan.Again, the benchmarks for load status may be taken from manufacturer'sspecifications, but they may also be based on user observation of actualusage patterns in pursuing its operating objectives.

A user's operating objectives—its business plans in the case of abusiness user—are translated into one of more operating plans to beimplemented in a controller for each controlled load. Thus, the systemstores one or more operating plans defining the planned load usagepattern occurring at each controlled load at a user site: e.g., thenumber and time of start-up cycles; what the planned working loads areand when they change during the day; any linkages between one load andanother, such as work one load performs or output it produces that is anecessary precursor of later activity at another load, including thetime relations between related work processes or devices that are partof a production group. Where loads are flexible in function, there maybe multiple operating plans or alternative operating modes within a planthat may be used in different circumstances.

For production facilities, the various loads are typically used togetherand/or in sequence in a production process (e.g., semiconductormanufacturing, injection molding, electroplating, material forming andmachining) or a sub-process of a larger process. Thus, optimization canbe taken further when the resource management system has a fulldescription of use or operating plans for loads relative to productionprocesses. This can include data from an enterprise resource planning(ERP) system that tracks and identifies costs of running loads based onenergy or other resource inputs and the contributions of loads tovarious production/output measures (and, ultimately, revenue and returnson investment). Similarly, loads may be part of an environment in whichvarious parameters must be maintained, e.g., a residential building withindividual units, common rooms and facility service rooms (e.g., areasoccupied by HVAC or water and waste handling equipment) having differentcomfort requirements, or a food store with large, open areas, wherethere is a desired air temperature, and refrigerators, freezers and/orheated serving units in a deli, all of which have desired temperatureranges and may be influenced by site ambient conditions, such as outsidetemperature, or sunshine through large windows or by consumer traffic.

The present system models the performance of all monitored equipment.From this database, it is possible to determine the saving that will beachieved by using one make of equipment vs. another. Given the operatingcycle and conditions of operation, this invention will determine thereturn on investment and time to repay investment so that managementmight make an informed decision about replacing a less efficient make ofequipment with another. Also, this system monitors out of specificationoperating characteristics, highlighting problems like low airconditioner gas, dry bearing, vibration, noisy ballast, etc.

FIG. 6 a shows a portion of simplified example of an operating plan fora load, e.g., L1. The horizontal axis shows a portion of a week, in thiscase Wednesday through Saturday. The vertical axis shows by horizontallines a planned operating level for load L1 for all hours of the daysWednesday, Thursday, Friday and part of Saturday. (In a full, actualoperating plan, all days of a week, month of other planning period maybe covered.) An operating level for the device/load, as shown by lines610 may be expressed in units of speed, number of items output, percentof maximum work capacity or some other measure of work, or in terms ofthe expected level of consumption of the resource the load consumes,which with skillful operation should conform to a level of speed orproductivity. For each day, the load starts out at one operating level,steps up to a higher level in the middle of the day and then decreasesto a lower level for the last hours of a day. As shown in FIG. 6 a, thedifferences in operating levels during the day may reflect start upissues, constraints in the supply of upstream components needed to runand produce at a given level, differences in skill levels or motivationof operating personnel for various shifts or other factors known toplanners.

In the example shown, the operating levels are somewhat higher for eachcorresponding portion of Thursday as compared to Wednesday. Friday'smid-day peak level is higher than either the comparable mid-day periodson Wednesday and Thursday, although Friday's off-peak operating levelsare lower than comparable periods of Wednesday. Another difference isthat the periods of highest operating level in each day are not all ofequal duration. The differences in operating levels from day to day mayreflect differences in order levels or in labor allocated or, forFriday, in the need to shut the load down before it assumes a minimumidle-but-not-totally-off operating level for Saturday. Thus, anoperating plan may be established based on shifting productionobjectives and a variety of other factors. It normally assumes the loadis in good operating condition, and would have to be changed if thatwere not the case.

Before a system is placed in operation, the initial control programs aredeveloped, based on the load profile data, operating plans and resourcecontrol goals, which may be defined for individual loads and aggregatedto cover a load group. Also, communication channels are set up andconfigured, so that loads can communicate with controllers andcontrollers with each other. This forms a network of multiple controlnodes. Further communication channels may handle communication betweenthe system, particularly the control center 150, and work stations atthe user or the utility. In the course of developing the initial controlprograms, various inputs are identified for controllers, including loadstatus inputs and control messages that may be received by one node inthe system from another node. These inputs are part of the controlprogram design, so that both normal operation ranges and local andremote incidents where exceptions and interrupts are encountered can beproperly managed. Message protocols for messages between the system andthe utilities or the user are also defined, depending on the informationand the control services the system provides to these entities. In oneembodiment, the message protocols are based on a mesh networkconfiguration so that all node communications channels perform a routerfunction in addition to reporting the RMC status and controlling the RMCfeatures. If a portion of the wireless network is made inoperative, theremaining wireless network will undergo a route discovery and willdetermine a new route to exchange information with the RMS, i.e.,messages seek alternate paths when a network node is unavailable due todamage, excess traffic or other cause. This provides a measure ofprotection for continued operation if one or more nodes is lost.

The control programs select an operating path based on and responsive tooperating plans, control goals and their various inputs. Duringoperation, the system predicts, in part from load and operating profiledata and also local load status conditions, the amount of energyrequired by a load, a load group or an entire site to pursue the definedoperating plan and, based on prevailing conditions, may adjust the loadoperating level to meet control goals, or to optimize the operatingplan, consistent with control goals. The system permits resource uselevels to be measured and compared to control goals defined by either(or both) of an essentially instantaneous rate measurement or a ratemeasurement over a defined integrating interval, such as five, fifteen,thirty or sixty minutes. Comparisons of current resource use to controlgoals may occur at the level of an individual load and at various setsor groups of loads, including particular load groups used together in aproduction process or in portions of buildings. The system isconfigurable to group any set of loads for which an aggregate measureand control goal may be desired. The system sums the load controllers'resource use measurements at various points in time and for short andlong measurement (integration) intervals. In response to the comparison,the system may need to reduce resource consumption at a particular loador an aggregate load of a group, or it may discover available capacityto add a load, by one or more strategies to be discussed below. Withproper configuration, the system uses at least one control program withan associated operating plan and a control goal to schedule and adjustthe use of energy (or another supplied resource) in order to obtainmaximum efficiency for the user without loss of production/output orother business (or household) goal relative to the operating plan.

As noted, the system permits the control programs to accept inputs andvary their control behavior based on changing conditions monitored inthe load or external to it. That is, a control goal or operating planmay be the subject of ongoing adjustment. The system uses computerizedcontrols that permit rates of resource usage and status of individualloads to be tracked and controlled and may optimizes the resourceconsumption of a user in accordance with predetermined but variableprogrammed operating plan algorithms. These algorithms may becontinuously and automatically adjusted on line to achieve optimalconsumption relative to the user's operating objectives, at the sametime taking into consideration the utility's safe operating conditions,as embodied in control goals. Likewise, in some instances, a controlgoal may be adjusted or overridden, in one or more dimensions and forone or more time periods.

The system provides an automated, utility-independent, predictive,adaptive system to manage electrical energy, water, gas and othersimilar consumable resources that can be metered out. The systemcombines several technologies, including measurement techniques,wireless and/or power line communications, monitoring and control ofequipment, and use of predictive calculations and programmable logic.These permit measurement of resource use and load status data of one ofmore individual loads, enabling the system to exercise controleffectively at each of the controlled loads. Each load may havecommunication capabilities and thus may be part of a network of controlnodes. By networking together multiple control nodes, the system cancontrol a single load, multiple loads at one user site, multiple loadsat multiple sites controlled by one user or multiple loads at multiplesites controlled by multiple users. Where multiple sites are involvedand rapid telecommunications are available, there is essentially nolimit on the geographical extent of the loads that may be undercoordinated control.

Among the possible benefits at a site implementing the controllers ofthe present system are: (a) to identify and reduce waste, thus improvingthe efficiency of the utilization of electrical energy, water or gas,and saving resources (or other) and costs and eventually contributing tosaving the environment; and (b) when used in co-operation with theutilities, to reduce maximum demand and spinning reserves while at thesame time avoiding rolling blackouts and improving the utility'sefficiency, with users benefiting from incentives offered by theutilities to achieve the above. The system can provide on-lineinformation and/or real-time messages for both the utility and the usersso that informed decisions about load operation and correspondingresource use can be made for the benefit of either or both.

The system may also assist electrical utilities in emergency situationsby starting up additional standby generators owned or controlled by theusers for contribution of energy to the utility grid or for local use(for user loads) and shutting down these generators immediately when thesituation has stabilized. The system helps manage and controlconsumer-generated energy so as to assist the utilities at peak periodsand at the same time maximize the benefits to the user and provide thebest returns on utility investments. The system may also provide autility access to a user's stored reserves of resources that arestorable, if the user and utility so agree.

The system as described in greater detail below may be used to manageelectrical energy usage but may also be used in a similar way to managewater and gas consumption, detecting leaks and wastage at the same time.

Component Overview. An overview of the components of system 100 is shownin FIG. 1. As seen in FIG. 1, there may be one or more user sites, e.g.,a home, commercial office or residential building or productionfacility, shown as User1 110, User2 120. For User1 110, the site mayinclude one or more loads 116. Each of the loads 116 is connected to oneor more remote, intelligent resource management controllers (RMC), e.g.,RMC11 114 a, RMC12 114 b, RMC1 n 115 a. Each RMC has: a) a resourcemeasurement unit (RMU) (functionally similar to a revenue meter, such asan energy meter but with additional measurement features); b) digitalprocessor with software configured as a monitor and control unit(functionally similar to a programmable logic controller); and c) acommunications unit, either wireless or power line communications(functionally similar to a modem). (See also FIG. 3 a.) Thecommunications unit provides communication channels 119 between theRMC's 114 a, 114 b, 115 a and the loads 116 and also communicationchannels 118 between RMC's 114 a, 114 b, 115 a and remote resourcemanagement servers (RMS) RMS1 a 112 and RMS1 b 113 of User1 site 110.FIG. 1 also shows that User2 site 120 has its own RMS2 122 and at leastone RMC, e.g., RMC21 124. RMC21 124 may have one or more loads 126 andcommunication channels 128 to RMS2 and communication channels 129 toloads 126.

Each RMS 112, 113, 122 is connected by a communication channel 160 to ahigher level control node at control center 150. Control Center 150 hasat least one control server 156, one or more database servers 152, oneor more communication servers 154 (for channels 160) and anuninterruptible power system (UPS) 158. In one embodiment, the controlcenter 150 also has a communication channel 170 to one or more ofutilities 130, 132. Among other functions described in greater detailbelow, control server 150 provides optimization decisions based onchoices between/among loads under control of RMS1 a 112, RMS 1 b 113 andRMS2 122, and also between User1 and User2. Because the functions at thesites of User1 and User2 are generally the same, discussion continueswith reference to User1 site 110.

As seen in FIG. 1, the resource to be controlled is supplied to User1110 by one or more utilities 130, 132. For example, Utility1 130 maysupply electricity over power lines 131, while Utility2 may supply gasor water over pipes 133 to User1 110. User2 may also be suppliedresources by Utility1 130 and Utility2 132, but for simplicity thesesupply lines are not shown in FIG. 1. In the following, the descriptionwill either be generally applicable for any resource or, for somespecifics, will focus on control of electrical energy consumption.

RMS1 a 112 communicating with RMC's 114 a, 114 b and RMS1 b 113communicating with RMC 115 a monitor, measure, predict and control theresource requirements of the associated controlled loads 116, based oncontrol programs that include adjustable operating plans and controlgoals. The system has software at RMS1 112 and/or at RMC's 114 a, 114 b,115 a to measure usage levels and adapt load operating levels based onthe load operating plans and stored control goals (see FIG. 3 a) and onload status and other conditions sensed and received as inputs by thesystem. The control programs schedule and control load use(add/adjust/shed) to achieve the user's operating goals underlying theoperating plans while avoiding as far as possible instantaneous loadpeaks and steady state load levels that may violate control goals. Forexample, the operating plan as initially defined or as adapted inresponse to real time inputs may schedule use of less time-sensitiveloads to increase the load consumption at low demand periods.

Because independent operation of the RMC's 114 a, 114 b, 115 a that itcontrols is desirable in some failure modes, RMS1 a 112 or RMS1 b 113may download an appropriate control program to each individual RMC 114a, 114 b, 115 a, which program is executed by the microprocessor orother data processor present at the particular RMC. Controldeterminations may occur at either or both of an RMC or at an RMS, withan RMS's position at a higher node in the network giving it informationto coordinate optimization and control among multiple RMC's. Differentlevels in the system have different (but coordinated) operating plansand control goal sets. Thus, each RMC and each RMS functions as acontrol node in a network of control nodes, with the RMC being theproximate source of control commands to its associated load.

Each of RMC's 114 a, 114 b, 115 a monitors and controls at least oneindividual load within the User1 site 110, based on its initial controlprogram and any additions and/or modifications to that control programmade by the RMS1 a 112 and RMS1 b 113. Each RMC 114 a, 114 b, 115 ameasures the active, reactive and apparent energy used as well as powerfactor, frequency, voltage per phase, current per phase and startingcharacteristics for each of the loads 116 connected to it andcommunicates this information to its controlling RMS 112, 113. As noted,part of each control program is an operating plan, designed to provide aplanned production/output (or contribution thereto), and a control goalset, which may limit or change the operating plan, if certain controlgoals are threatened as the operating plan proceeds. RMS1 a 112 and RMS1b 113 also measure (and/or compute from data from the RMCs) the energyused by the loads under their control to verify that the load taken(i.e., resource consumption) is within the specified limits per thecontrol goal and per the load profile information of the load beingmonitored. This verification may also be done at an RMC 114 a, 114,b,115 a for an individual load it controls.

Each of the RMC's 114 a, 114 b, 115 a may also measure the actualstarting (switch on) characteristics of the associated load 116connected to it and convey this information to RMS1 a 112 or RMS1 b 113,as applicable. Either RMC's 114 a, 114 b, 115 a or RMS1 a 112 or RMS1 b113, as applicable, may verify that the starting characteristics arewithin the manufacturer's specification or consistent with historicalpatterns, either or both as stored in the load profile information. Anydeviation outside the normal characteristics per the load profileinformation could mean a load problem or the load efficiency is notoptimum.

Multiple Levels of Control. One aspect of the system as depicted in FIG.1 is that there are two or more levels of control, with differentcontrol options and decisions available at each level. The lowest levelof control is provided by an RMC, e.g., RMC's 114 a, 114 b, 115 afunctioning as a load level controller. In one embodiment, each load 116has its own associated RMC, but a single RMC might also provide controlfor more than one load, particularly if there were some reason toprovide some common control features for more than one load, such as themultiple loads being similar or used together or in a well-definedsequence. As a load level controller, the RMC senses and measurescertain local parameters, including: the power or other resource inputto the device; operating status parameters of the device itself, such asspeed, pressure, temperature, vibration, number of certain repetitiveoperations, acceleration, on/off duty cycle and efficiency; and ambientconditions at or relevant to the device, including ambient temperatureand humidity, status of equipment providing inputs to the device. Thesemeasured load status values can then be used to check for defects, wherethe measurement reflects conditions defined by load profile data, or mayalso be used for predictive analysis of future load conditions. The RMChas a load level operating plan in it that provides an operatingsequence for its load for a day and/or a week or other extendedoperating period. The RMC load level control program has the ability toaccept inputs from the RMC sensors or messages from the RMS, which mayprovide processed values based on data sensed in raw form at the RMC andpassed to the RMS. The RMC control program also may receive controlmessages generated by the RMS or nodes that communicate with the RMS,which may influence or override the load level control program.

The load level controller/RMC performs certain control functions undercontrol of the load level control program and its inputs. These includeturning the load on or off (shedding or adding it), and adjusting anyadjustable operating parameters as may be provided in an operating plan(e.g., speed, pressure, low/high working modes) that affect resource useat the load. The RMC may also apply power factor correction at the levelof the load. Thus, the RMC issues control signals as needed to the loadand to power factor correction equipment for the load. In oneembodiment, a complete load level control program is stored at the RMCcontrol node, so that it can operate a load device even when the RMC isnot able to communicate to its RMS or any other part of the system,e.g., due to communication disruption. In another embodiment, all orpart of the load level control program is stored away from the RMS andaccessed by the RMS over a network or other communication channel.

The second level of control is at an RMS. Typically, an RMS control nodewill supervise one or more loads and work with one or more RMC'sassociated with each of the one or more loads. The loads an RMS controlsmay comprise a group of loads combined for operational reasons,geographical reasons (such as all loads at one site) or otheradministrative reasons. Thus, an RMS functions as a group levelcontroller, providing control over a defined group of RMC's and theircorresponding loads. The RMS has its own control program and provides ahigher level of control than an RMC, because it is tasked with executingan operating plan and monitoring/controlling to a control goal set thatencompasses all (or at least multiple) loads in its control group. Thus,it may provide messages to influence an RMC in its control group, it mayprovide control messages to override an RMC control program operating inits RMC control group and it may replace or modify an RMC controlprogram operating in its RMC control group. Further, when an RMScontrols two or more RMC's, the RMS may make control determinationsbased on trading off operation of any load, responsive to thegroup-level operating plan and the site-level conditions affecting anyload controlled by one of the RMC's in the RMS's control group.

An RMS may have associated sensors for measuring various parameters towhich it may respond, including: the power input to its control group;and ambient conditions at or relevant to its RMC control group,including ambient internal or external temperature, status of RMC'sproviding inputs to the RMS node, traffic in a building, or othermeasures that are relevant to management of a control group under itsoperating plan, such as high or low demand at one or more of the RMC's.It may also receive forecast information for various externalconditions, such as weather or consumer traffic.

As noted, an RMS typically stores and downloads the control programs forthe RMC's in its control group. An RMS also has the processing power anddata storage capacity to provide continuous optimization of controlprograms for the RMC's in its control group. In particular, an RMS hasstorage for storing historical usage records for loads, load profiledata and one or more adaptive optimizer programs. The optimizer programscan be of any known type, using optimizing algorithms to performback-testing on stored historical usage data or real time testing ofvarious control program strategies based on load profile data andproposed operating plans, or using neural networks or evolutionaryalgorithms to provide control program optimization. This may include ananalysis that identifies waste due to inefficient operating plans, poorexecution of plans due to employees, equipment defects ormaladjustments, and other factors. Such optimizer programs may beapplied continuously or at intervals (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly), toprovide updating of control programs as better information isaccumulated or as new conditions or control goals dictate a need tore-evaluate previous optimum calculations. The result can be revisedoperating plans or revised control goals for any control node in thegroup.

A third level of control is provided at the control center 150. Acontrol center 150 may coordinate the action of one or more RMS's. Inone embodiment, the control center 150 has no direct measurement ofpower (or other resources) flowing into the RMS's it controls. In thesecircumstances, power measurements from each of the RMS's in its RMScontrol group and, if desired, from each of the RMC's under the RMScontrol group may be communicated to the control center 150, so that itcan compute information on the power used in its RMS control group. Inanother embodiment, the control center 150 obtains an independentreading of the power used in its RMS control group. The control center150 is positioned to have information on all controlled loads and alsoon all inflowing power. Further, the control center is equipped with amap of power lines and power flows, Thus, it may use its map of powerflows to perform an energy audit of one or more user sites or groups ofcontrol nodes. With a sufficient map of power flows and sufficientinformation, the audit may reveal loss of power, loads that need to bebrought under control, problems loads that need service or replacement,and other information that can be derived from detailed knowledge ofload power use. Because the use of power is largely additive in atree-shaped distribution system, the audit may include computations tofill in blanks where a particular control node has not reported data orreported inaccurately. Thus the system can continue to provide usefulaudit data even when not all control nodes are operational.

Thus, a control center 150 may function as a multi-user levelcontroller, providing monitoring and control over a defined group ofRMS's at multiple users with their corresponding RMC's and theirassociated loads. The control center 150 has its own control program andprovides a higher level of control than any RMS, because it is taskedwith controlling to a control goal that encompasses the RMS's, RMC's andcorresponding loads in its multi-user control group. Thus, it mayprovide control messages to influence an RMS in its control group, itmay provide control messages to override an RMS control program in itsRMS control group and it may replace or modify an RMS control program inits RMS control group. Further, when a control center 150 controls twoor more RMS's, the control center 150 can make control determinationsbased on trading off operation of any load, based on the multi-userlevel strategic value and the conditions affecting any user of the loadscontrolled by one of the RMS's in the multi-user control group. Becausea control center 150 may have more processing power and data storagecapacity than an RMS, optimizer programs as discussed above for an RMSmay also run at the control center 150. It then communicates revisedoperating plans or control goals to any control node implicated in itsoptimization analysis.

To the extent a control center 150 has a communication channel 170 to autility, the channel 170 may send and receive information to/from theUtility1 130, Utility2 132 to UtilityN 134 (see FIG. 1). As discussedbelow, that may include data messages and also control messages, withinthe range of options offered to the utility by a utility interface tothe present system.

RMC and RMS. Reference is now made also to FIG. 3 a, which shows ingreater detail the User1 site 110 of FIG. 1. In FIG. 3 a, Utility 1 130is shown as supplying electrical power over a three phase line 331 topower factor controller 380, associated with RMS1 112. Although as seenin FIG. 1, a site may have multiple RMS's, for simplicity in FIG. 3 a,only one (RMS1 112) appears. RMS1 112 is shown as having severalassociated components, including workstations 310 that allow operatorsto view and monitor various information flowing into or through RMS1, toinput data or new software stored in various databases, to configure thesoftware and other components of RMS1 and to perform remoteconfiguration of RMC's 114 a, 114 b, 114 n. In addition, to the extentan RMS1 addresses a situation by seeking operator intervention, theworkstations 310 (or for remote access, communications module 320)provide the display (or display data) describing the situation requiringintervention, the data relevant to operator judgment and the menus ofcontrol options available to an operator. (There could be more thanthree RMC control nodes, and in a site of any complexity there would bedozens or hundreds of loads, each with an RMC; but again, forsimplicity, only three are shown.)

The power measurements made at RMCs and RMSs permit the energy auditdiscussed above to be performed. In addition, if the periodic energymeasurements are recorded for particular control nodes, this can yieldan energy use profile with a granularity that is at least as precise asthe integrating period involved. Such an energy use profile can bedepicted much like the curves 910 or 930 as seen in FIG. 9. FIG. 3 bshows a further simplified example of curves resulting from load usemeasurements over time, in this case measurements for loads L1, L2 andLn for a period Monday through Wednesday. Each day shows a pattern ofrising in the first part of the day and declining in the later part ofthe day. The measurements underlying the graph can be subject to datamining. Areas of interest for data mining might be shift changes ortimes when the operating crew meets to determine its goals and getinstructions on a day's operating plan. If curves are for closelyrelated equipment used in a production line, they may show significantcongruence, as in FIG. 3 b, or a pattern showing some sequentialinterdependence. When such load use profile curves show actual use ofenergy at a load and similar curves are available for other relatedloads, a great deal may be revealed about the condition of the loads,the skill or motivation of operators, and the coordination of use ofloads that are part of a larger process or objective. This informationnot only lets the user review and improve (or lets data mining programsthe user configures based on its business objectives analyze) itsoperating plans and also to look for training, workflow revisions orother factors beyond load operating levels that may reduce waste andallow improvement of operating plans.

Referring again to FIG. 3 a, communication module 320 managescommunication channels 160 to the control center 150 and to User1'senterprise resource planning (ERP) program 380 and also channels 118 tothe RMC's 114 a, 114 b, 114 n, as well as any internet or RFcommunications desired. Given the importance and sensitivity of themessages these channels carry, the messages may be encrypted orotherwise made secure. Data stored in memory associated with RMS1 112include rate rules 330 (documenting the cost of resources per theutility rates and billing rules), load profile information 332 andcontrol programs 350. Sensors 340 provide sensing of various site levelinformation, and measure incoming electrical power, including active,reactive and apparent power components.

The control programs 350 are of two different kinds. One type of controlprogram is the load level control programs that are typically used atRMC's to provide control of specific loads based on load level plans andcontrol goals. A load level control program (with associated operatingplan plus control goal set) provides control based primarily on thelocal load status and the way that load fits into a predetermined rolefor that load in production/output plans and control objectives definedat some higher level. Because an RMS typically controls multiple RMC'sand their loads as a group with group level control goals, an RMS alsohas a group level control program which is based on the higher levelplans and objectives of the group of loads. This group level controlprogram may provide control messages to one or more RMC's containinginformation that needs to be processed at the RMC by the load levelcontrol program or provide control commands that effectively pre-emptand override the load level control program, based on a group levelcontrol goal. That goal may not be within the operating range of theload level control program either because of its limitations or becausethe RMS has certain information available to it that is not available orprocessable at the load level control program. The load level controlprograms and group level control programs 350 are stored to beaccessible at RMS1, although load level control programs are typicallydownloaded to RMC's 114 a, 114 b, 114 n for execution there.

Any of the load level or group level control programs at RMS1 may bemonitored by the RMS's Adaptive optimizer 360. Adaptive optimizer 360 isconfigured to analyze and test the performance of the load level orgroup level control programs relative to one or more control objectivesor optimization standards or to subject the control program tocontinuous directed optimization exploration. These approaches can leadto algorithm changes that have been verified under one or more criteriaas optimized relative to existing operating plans or control goals.Adaptive optimizer 360 may report to operators at workstations 310 thediscovery and verification of optimization opportunities. The operatorsmay then direct reconfiguration with the optimized software.Alternatively, adaptive optimizer 360 may be given sufficientsupervisory control that once it has verified an optimizationopportunity, it may effect the optimization by adjusting parameters of aload level control program or completely replacing load level controlprograms, including RMC operating plans or control goals. Similarly,adaptive optimizer may effect the optimization by adjusting parametersof a RMS1's group level operating plan or control goal or completelyreplacing these.

As further seen in FIG. 3 a, if the user has user generation capacity370, this may also be part of the subsystem controlled by RMS1. In thatcase, RMS1 determines whether it has received a message directing it toemploy user generation capacity 370 to provide energy locally or to autility (which may be empowered to determine its activation), i.e., thepower generated is fed on line 372 back to Utility1 130. In someinstances, the control program of RMS1 may make its own determination,consistent with arrangements previously agreed with Utility1, togenerate and provide power to Utility1.

As also seen in FIG. 3 a, each RMC 114 a, 114 b, 114 n has one or moreassociated loads. By way of example, RMC11 has associated load L11 116a. RMC11 also has an associated RMU 214 and other sensors or ports forreceiving sensor signals. RMC11 also has a processor and memory 216 forexecuting its control programs. Also shown in FIG. 3 a are RMC12 114 bwith load L12 116 b and the possibility of adding further RMC's, e.g.,RMC1 n 114 n with load L1 n. (RMC12 and RMC1 n have the same features asRMC11, but for simplicity these are not shown in FIG. 3 a.) Each RMC 114a, 114 b, 114 n by itself, or in association with RMS1 112, has thefacility by control commands to switch on or off (i.e.,connect/disconnect) or adjust the operating level of its related load(provided the load is adjustable). The switching may involve interlockwith other loads or equipment in a predetermined logical manner. Forexample, in certain processes it may be necessary to have some equipmentstarted before others or shutdown of two loads may need to becoordinated, because of a dependent relationship. Further, in somesystems, instantaneous peak load may be managed by separating andsequencing of load start-ups. These interdependencies are stored in thecontrol programs 350 of RMS1 112 and/or at RMC11 (see 314 a) forexecution by its memory and processor, or may be transmitted to othersuitable nodes of the network comprising the system and made accessiblevia the network to the RMS and RMC components that need them to exerciseload level or group level control.

RMS1 112 and/or each RMC 114 a, 114 b, 114 n measures and controlsenergy use based primarily on an operating plan that is intended toachieve a user's objectives and resource control goals. As noted, thisresource control goal may be established by a user itself or in anegotiation with a utility and may be a control goal set with multipledimensions. For example, FIG. 9 shows a possible steady state controllimit 920 and an instantaneous peak value limit 922 for each of fourtime periods, which may be used as a resource control goal set. Theresource control goal files for RMS1 and rate rules 330 are stored to beaccessible to its group level control program. In some situations theresource control goals are also stored with Control Servers 156 at thelevel of a control center 150, where the resource control goals formultiple RMS's may be stored. Control center 150 stores as well higherlevel resource control goals that may be defined for a control center150, when it is empowered to coordinate the usage of power for multipleRMS's for one user or multiple RMS's for multiple users. Thus, thecontrol center 150 may use a control center level control program andcontrol center level control goals to look for opportunities to use alowered resource usage level achieved at one RMS to accommodate a higherresource usage level at another RMS, if a operating plan defines that asdesirable.

In the case where the RMS control nodes that the control center 150oversees belong to the same user, the control center 150 may findopportunities to increase production, comfort or other user site valuereflected in an operating plan when it looks for a usage level that isbelow a user control goal and decides to come closer to the use goal, toincrease production, comfort etc. The control center 150 may equallywell conclude that it is undesirable for the user to pursue further anyproduction, comfort or other user site objective, which will normallyinvolve some increase in expense for the corresponding increasedresource use. When underutilization is found, and the control center 150is properly empowered by the resource users that it monitors, thecontrol center 150 may have an opportunity to transfer one user'sunderutilization gap to another user. That is, the control center 150may act as a broker for instantaneous transfer of capacity among acoordinated set of users, who have agreed to sell availabledifferentials between their scheduled usage levels and their resourcecontrol goals to other users who may desire to exceed their then-currentresource control goals. If this function is performed at the controlcenter 150, market rules are stored in memory, with a market module 270(See FIG. 2) stored and executing at the control center 150 to performautomated buy-sell transactions or offer these at user interfaces, wheretime permits.

Each RMC 114 a, 114 b, 114 n may have in its load level control programa flexible operating plan to use and adjust loads in a predictivepredetermined mariner, so as to reduce loads at maximum demand periodsbut maintain efficiency and productivity. The predictions may be basedon environmental considerations measured at the load, if the loadscontrolled are HVAC, or may be based on production plans driven by inputfrom an ERP system 380 to RMS1 112 and converted into operating plans orcontrol messages issued by RMS1 112 to the RMC's it controls. If theloads are production equipment that may have various usage and outputcapacity levels, the inputs from the ERP system 380 permit the ERP'svalue to be extended to include efficient use of energy and otherresources.

The system also permits efficiency in power factor control. This can beimportant when an electrical utility penalizes low power factor bycharging more for power during periods when a low power factor ismeasured, e.g., below 0.96 power factor. Each RMC 114 a, 114 b, 114 nnot only measures at its RMU the active power taken by its correspondingload but also the reactive and apparent energy as well as the powerfactor. The RMC's control program may include a component to evaluatepower factor and to provide control signals to capacitor banks or otherpower factor correction equipment (see FIG. 1), PFC) so as to achieve anear unity power factor at the particular load controlled by an RMC. AnRMC's control program may also communicate power factor values to theRMS1 112, which can use these and power factor measurements made at thelevel of the power flowing in the lines 331 that feed the group of loadscontrolled by RMS1 112. As seen in FIG. 3 a, RMS1 112 may have a controlprogram with a component to measure and evaluate power factor and toprovide control messages to the power factor controller equipment 380,associated with the lines for the group of loads. This permits the loadgroup to achieve a near unity power factor, which results in thereactive energy being reduced to almost zero for the group of loads.This saves wasted energy in internal circulating currents. Where RMS1112 controls all loads from a user, it may be able to keep the powerfactor for the user above a predetermined level where a utility imposesa penalty.

As noted and shown in FIG. 6 b, one dimension of a resource control goalcan be defined by each of the different energy measurements relevant topower factor. For example, in FIG. 6 b, the first three time intervalsare shown as achieving essentially unity power factor (near zeroreactive power) at different levels of power consumption. The final timeperiod shows a deviation from unity power factor, perhaps because thisgoal is simply not achievable with the mix of loads that are operatingat this time period, notwithstanding system intervention with correctionequipment.

The RMS1 112 also provides an opportunity for a resource use audit. Thecontrol program of RMS1 112 may be configured to compute totals from allthe energy measurements reported from all the RMU's 114 a, 114 b, 114 ndirectly controlling loads and compare these measurements with the totalmeasured input of power from the utility to the load group controlledunder RMS1 112, to ensure that no energy at the user site 110 isunaccounted for and to ensure that the accuracy of the integrated systemis within the specified limits.

In one embodiment, the RMU's used in the system are instrumentation thathas been certified for accuracy in one or more dimensions of resourceuse measurement. The benefit of such certification is not only greateraccuracy of data collected by the system but also greater authority forthe data collected. For example, in the electric power industry, variousfactors can make it difficult for an electrical power utility to get anaccurate reading of power consumption for a particular user site. (Suchfactors can include faulty meters or meter hookups, or can also includecustomer tampering with meters and metering hookups.) The present systemcan meter power at multiple points and measurements can becross-checked. In addition, if the metering equipment is calibrated andcertified as accurate, it can become the authoritative source forconsumption measurement. In particular, a user who has measurements ofpower consumption made by certified equipment and has access to theutility billing rules and tariffs has a basis for disputing billingstatements that do not appear accurate. Accordingly, installation ofaccurate, certified calibrated RMU's permits the service provider todevelop data for auditing the billing by a utility, an action notnormally within the possibilities of a user. For example, using themeasurements developed at its own loads and load groups a user or aservice provider acting for a user can do a direct comparison of itsaudit data on KWH usage factors, time of usage factors, any relevantinstantaneous peak values, or other data used in a utility's billings toapply the applicable billing rules and thereby discover any billingdiscrepancies it may wish to question.

For energy accounting, energy usage by individual loads must equal thetotal energy purchased from the power utility. It is not cost effectiveto place energy measurement devices on every load, because the 80/20rule generally applies, where 20% of the loads use about 80% of theenergy and the remaining 80% of the equipment only use 20% of theenergy. Therefore, using algorithms like load flow, etc, the energyconsumed by smaller equipment is estimated so that energy balance may bedetermined.

The more accurately measured usage data may also be used to aidutilities. A resource utility (electricity, gas, water, etc.) is usuallygovernment regulated and its revenue and profitability watched closely.Ideally, its revenue will correspond exactly or closely with theresources it distributes. If it fails to fully and accurately bill forthe resources it distributes, the cost for the customers that pay ishigher than it should be. Its profitability is not properly presented.Again, the causes of inaccuracy, particularly a failure to bill for allunits of the resource it distributes, include faulty meters, metermultipliers or meter hookups, or can also include customer tampering.The data measured by the present system can also be used for autility-side audit.

In one embodiment, the present load level controllers, group levelcontrollers and control centers can be placed at multiple loads in acustomer group served by a distribution facility to provide a system1700 for protecting a utility's revenue resulting from its sale of aconsumable resource. For example, FIG. 17 shows a simplified diagram ofloads (at RMC level 1740) and control nodes (at RMC level 1730 andcontrol center level 1720) with KWH resource consumption levels torepresent sample, idealized audit data provided by the present systemand usable by a customer or a utility. For example, the eight KWH valuesat the bottom of FIG. 17 (RMC Level 1740) represent resource consumptionat particular loads. The four KWH values at the RMS Level 1730 mayrepresent resource consumption at four customers C1, C2, C3, C4. The KWHdata may be directly measured at all nodes or but more cost effectivelyis measured at sufficient nodes for major resource-using loads to allowcalculation or estimation of indirectly measured KWH data for all thenodes of interest. In one form of audit, the nodes of interest are anynode for which there is billing history. Here the measured values fromthe system 1700 can be compared to the utility's measured resource usagevalue used for billing, or a billing amount computed based on themeasured resource usage values from the system 1700 and applicablebilling rules can be compared to the utility's billing amount. If thereis a discrepancy, the utility can take action by issuing a correctedbill based on the measured values from the system 1700. In addition, theutility can take steps to determine a basis for the discrepancy, whichmay be in metering (e.g., faulty meters, meter multipliers or meterhookups, or can also include customer tampering) or in billingcomputation, or both, and initiate corrective action (repair,reprogramming) for its metering and/or its billing computations.

For this audit, the method comprises: measuring at one or more loads orload groups of a customer group the resource consumption in suchcustomer group, such measuring providing resource consumption audit datasufficient to determine the total resource consumption by at least onebilled customer; determining from billing records for the definedbilling period whether the amount billed to the at least one billedcustomer for resource consumption corresponds to a calculated fullpayment for the measured resource consumption provided from adistribution facility; and responsive to a determination that thecustomer was under-billed relative to the resource consumption auditdata for that at least one customer, storing as an audit result thisdetermination and the amount. The stored audit result can be used toinitiate corrective action for the utility's metering and/or its billingcomputations.

Another audit of interest begins with a measured value believed torepresent the total resources provided to a customer group from adistribution facility of the resource provider over a defined billingperiod. That value may be provided by the utility or a service providerthat measures sufficient nodes in the utility's distribution grid maycompute such a value for the utility. The utility can then compute anexpected revenue number based on billing for all of the resourcerepresented by the measured value that represents the total resourcesprovided to a customer group from the distribution facility. If there isless revenue billed than expected, the audit data measured by theservice provider at various nodes in a its measurement and controlnetwork (i.e., at control center level 1720, RMS level 1730 and RMClevel 1740) can be used to find where the resource actually went andwhether the utility suffered correctable losses resulting from meteringor billing computation errors. Here, the focus is to make correctionshaving the greatest overall impact on total revenue, as opposed tofinding every customer under-billed by even a small amount (althoughthis may be achieved eventually).

For this audit, the method comprises: receiving a measured valuerepresenting total resources provided to a customer group from adistribution facility of the resource provider over a defined billingperiod; computing a total revenue value realizable from the totalresources provided to a customer group from the distribution facilityand by comparison with billing records, determining if there is ashortfall between billed revenue and the total revenue value realizable;if so, measuring at one or more loads or load groups of the customergroup the resource consumption at such customer group, such measuringproviding resource consumption audit data sufficient to determine thetotal resource consumption by least one billed customer; determiningfrom billing records for the defined billing period whether the amountbilled to the at least one customer for resource consumption correspondsto a calculated full payment for the measured resource consumptionprovided from a distribution facility; and responsive to a determinationthat the customer was under-billed relative to the resource consumptionaudit data for that at least one customer, storing as an audit resultthis determination and the amount. The stored audit result can be usedto initiate corrective action for the utility's metering and/or itsbilling computations.

In a typical system as shown in FIG. 3 a, the group level controlprogram at RMS1 provides a more complex level of load control andbalancing, based on the operating plans and control goal set defined fora group of loads. The RMS1 112 coordinates all the operations to beperformed by the various load controllers, comprising RMCs 114 a, 114 b. . . 114 n in the group. As needed, the control program of RMS1 112processes data relevant to the group of loads and may change anoperating plan to defer or reduce operation of a load at maximum demandperiods and connect this deferred load (or operate it at a higheroperating level where the load has multiple levels) when the energydemand is low (peak shaving and valley filling), so as to reduce overallmaximum demand at any integrating period.

FIG. 8 shows schematically a simplified example of peak shaving andvalley filling. The solid lines 810 show in simplified form a graph ofhistorical resource usage (e.g., kilowatt hours of electricity perintegration period, e.g., interval 802) for a site over a 24-hour period(indicated in the horizontal axis by military time). As can be seen fromsolid lines 810, the highest historical usage level is in the period T1to T3. Assuming this is (wholly or partially) the highest rate period,the user will wish to improve efficiency by moving consumption out ofthis period to the lower rate periods, e.g., those before T1 or after T2or T3. If analysis of the loads and operating plan show that use of theresource by certain loads can equally well occur outside of the periodT1 to T3, the operating plan can be changed so that planned consumptionlevels (and/or control goals) are as shown by the dotted lines 820. Inthe middle interval, between T1 and T2, the consumption level expectedfrom the operating plan and shown in dotted lines 820 is lower than thehistorical level. The graph shows that in the interval T2 to T3, theconsumption under the new operating plan rises, although it stays belowthe historical level (solid lines 810) until T3. As can be seen,although there may be a total reduction in resource use over the 24 hourperiod from use of the new operating plan, use is actually above thehistorical levels before T1 and after T3. The exact level of use at eachof these times is selected so that by using the resource in a lower rateperiod the total resource cost computed across all rate periods is lessthan the historical amount, even if the actual amount of resourceconsumption might be greater. (In this example, for simplicity we assumein the operating plan that consumption at the loads will remain constantin the intervals shown for the dotted lines, but in reality variabilitycan be expected, as the presence and operating rates of loads maychange.).

RMS1 112 may also adaptively adjust the loads controlled by the RMCs soas to obtain as near to maximum efficiency as possible and to meet theapplicable resource control goal. This is achieved by controlling suchequipment associated with loads as frequency controlled inverters or byuse of pulse width modulation, phase control, and other known powersaving and control strategies available with motors, electrical heatingelements and other loads. Such functions may also be performed based onthe load level control programs at the RMCs 114 a, 114 b, 114 n forloads that each controls.

RMS1 112 also communicates status and control information via thecommunication channel 160, which may be in the form of a local privatearea network (PAN), the Internet or an Intranet, to Control Center 150,where this information is stored in a database for easy access andcontrol. Users may be provided information applicable to their use bydatabase access, such as by a browser, or may have the information sentto them in various ways, at intervals, or more or less continuously.Certain information such as total consumption, load per RMC, loadprofiles per RMC, alarms, utility billing information, managementreports and other information may be communicated to each user asrequired by the RMS over local communication network or othercommunications link to a user-owned workstation (not shown). In oneembodiment, the system provider makes available to a user one or more ofworkstations 310 to access databases maintained by the system to getsuch information. The availability of this information to users isimportant, as it permits them to perform data mining and to redefine, inconsultation with the operator of a control center 150 or the operatorof an RMS, the operating plans and control goals, as additionalinteractions between loads are understood and additional opportunitiesto move load usage away from peak intervals are discovered. Theworkstation 310 at an RMS permits information for operatordecision-making to be displayed. Operator input can be taken via controlmenus to guide or override the control program in an RMS.

Control Center. As discussed, the Control Center 150 provides a higherlevel of control, providing supervisory control over RMS's under itscontrol and over the groups of loads control by each RMS. Referringagain to FIG. 3 a, in case the RMCs 114 a, 114 b, 114 n and/or the RMS112 encounter any problems not addressed adequately by a group levelcontrol program or a load level control program, information processedby these control nodes may be communicated to one or redundant controlcenters 150 for a higher level control decision. The Control Center 150functions to optimize efficiency and savings per customer by performingone or more of the following:

1. Communicate with all RMSs

2. Monitor and control all the RMSs

3. Remote program and optimize all the RMSs

4. Schedule processes for each user

5. Store all the information received in database servers

6. Send required information to users

7. Automatically control any user energy generation

8. Provide historical data and graphs to customers

9. Provide billing information to users

10. Provide management reports to users

11. Monitor user equipment for problems indicated by energy usage

12. Communicate with and provide service to users

13. Communicate with and provide service to the Utilities

14. Assist to balance energy consumption to the available energygenerated

As further seen in FIG. 2, each Control Center 150 comprises:

1. A main data processor with an operating system and applicationsoftware for overall control, including coordinating servers performingspecialized functions 210

2. One or multiple redundant Database Servers 152

3. One or multiple redundant Control Servers 156

4. One or multiple redundant Communication Servers 154, using Internetor web, fire walls and routers (as required)

5. Multiple Front End Processors (FEPs) 260 interface a number ofperipheral devices (e.g., terminals, disk units, printers, tape units,etc.) to the main data processor or the servers.

6. Billing/Report Server(s) 230

7. Multiple Workstations 240 with multiple displays (as required)

8. One or redundant Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPSs) 158

Implementation. The system shown in FIGS. 1-3 a can be implemented in avariety of ways with current (and foreseeable) computer technology. Inone embodiment, general purpose computers, such as microprocessors,personal computers or servers are provided at control nodes andnetworked together to provide the processing and communication requiredby the system as described above. For cost effective processing powerand data storage at or adjacent loads, embedded microprocessor modulesmay be used. Thus, RMC's 114 a, 114 b, 115 a, 124 and RMS's 112, 122 inFIG. 1 may be built with customized or off-the-shelfmicroprocessor-based systems, including programmable logic controllersand PC and PDA type systems with networking capability. The ControlCenter 150 may require more computing power and thus comprise anetworked cluster of servers.

Remote Management Controller (RMC). As best seen in FIG. 4, in oneembodiment, the components of a microprocessor-based RMC 114 a forcontrol of electrical energy include:

Surge Protection Module 1—The surge protection module 1 is designed toprotect all the electronic equipment against surges in the RMC, voltagespikes due to lightning and other inherent phenomena associated withpower systems and networks.

Measuring Module 2—The measuring module 2 (RMU) measures the three phasevoltages and currents (shown as inputs v1, v2, v3, Neutral and CT1, CT2and CT3), and the phase angle between them. From these measurements thefollowing are calculated, using software on the microprocessor 10:

a) Real Power KW

b) Real energy KWH

c) Reactive power KVAR

d) Reactive energy KVARH

e) Apparent power KVA

f) Apparent energy KVAH

g) Power Factor

h) Power quality (including supply weakness indicators)

i) Energy profile graphs

In addition, one or more of the following values or conditions may besensed or computed: Per Phase WH, Per Phase VarH, Per Phase VaH, PerPhase RMS Current, Per Phase RMS Voltage, Frequency, Waveform capture ofall Currents and Voltages, Under Voltage Detection, Over VoltageDetection, Over Current Detection, Phase Failure Detection, PhaseSequence Error Detection, Reverse Power Detection, and Sags and DipsDetection.

As noted elsewhere, both instantaneous values for the above measurementsand values of the above measurements taken over integration periods orseveral seconds to several minutes (in one embodiment 5-20 minutes) orhours may be measured by the RMU and lead to various calculated usagerate indications.

Signal Conditioning Module 3—The signal-conditioning module 3converts/conditions the 3 phase current transformer (CT1, CT2, and CT3)currents into a value as required by the measuring module 2.

Power Supply Module 4—The power supply module 4 takes power from all the3 phases of the alternating supply and converts it into DC. It is thenchopped down to the voltages as required by the RMC's electronics,keeping these voltages constant and clean of any interference.

Memory Module 5—The memory module 5 consists of different types ofmemory as required by the application and can vary in size toaccommodate the control programs and different applications. The memorymodule 5 communicates with and is under the control of theMicroprocessor 10.

Clock Module 6—The clock module 6 provides a precise time orientationfor the microprocessor and also for coordinated scheduling of loadspursuant to an operating plan.

Button Interface Module 7—The button interface module 7 is a simple setof user input controls. For more complex user interfaces, this modulemay be a full keyboard, not just a limited set of buttons. Thesecontrols allow navigation of menus present on the Display Module 12.

Input/Output Module 8—The Input/Output Module 8 provides the physicalconnection point for sensors and may also provide a connection point andfor the communication channels 118 and 119, if wired.

Power Line Communications Module 9—The Power Line Communications Module9 provides a means for the microprocessor 10 to use existing power linesas a communication channel, which may be useful to avoid additionalwiring at a user site.

Microprocessor Module 10—The microprocessor module 10 supplies theinstruction processing and other digital processing functions forexecution of stored programs used by the RMC. A suitable microprocessoris the Model ATMEGA 128 from Atmel Corporation.

Radio Transmitter/Receiver Module 11—Radio Transmitter/Receiver Module11 provides RF communication of data to/from the microprocessor 10,should that be needed instead of or in addition to the power linecommunication. A suitable Radio Transmitter/Receiver Module 11 is theZigbee type CC2430 chip from Texas Instruments Corporation.

Display Module 12—The display module 10 is an LCD or similar display topresent information about the RMC's functions, the information it issending, receiving or processing and to provide control menus to theuser.

Serial interface Module 13—The serial interface module provides one morechannel for communications to and from the microprocessor 10,particularly useful for attaching certain laptops or test equipment fortemporary monitoring or configuring. It also accommodates other devicesusing a serial interface.

Antenna Module 14—The antenna module is part of the RadioTransmitter/Receiver Module 11.

Remote Management Server (RMS). The RMS can be constructed fromoff-the-shelf equipment or can be a proprietary design. As best seen inFIG. 5, the components of a microprocessor-based RMS 112 for control ofelectrical energy include:

Surge Protection Module 501—The surge protection module 501 is designedto protect all the electronic equipment in the RMS against surges,voltage spikes due to lightning and other inherent phenomena associatedwith power systems and networks.

Power Supply Module 502—The power supply module 502 takes power from allthe three phases of the alternating supply and converts it into DC. Itis then chopped down to the voltages as required by the RMS'electronics, keeping these voltages constant and clean of anyinterference.

Memory Module 503—The memory module 503 consists of different types ofmemory as required by the application and can vary in size toaccommodate different applications. The memory module 503 communicateswith and is under the control of the Microprocessor 510.

Mini-PCI Type III Sockets 504, 505, 506, 507—Four of these connectorsare shown for receiving various peripheral devices.

Compact flash Socket 508—This provides a connection point for thesecondary memory use to store the RMS data and software.

Radio Transmitter/Receiver Module 509—Radio Transmitter/Receiver Module509 provides RF communication of data to/from the microprocessor 10. Asuitable Radio Transmitter/Receiver Module 11 is the Zigbee type CC2430chip from Texas Instruments Corporation.

Microprocessor Module 510—The microprocessor module 510 supplies theinstruction processing and other digital processing functions forexecution of stored programs used by the RMS. A suitable microprocessoris a low power consumption microprocessor such as a Pentium III fromIntel Corporation or the Geode chip from AMD.

Ethernet 10/100 PHY 511, 512—two of these connectors 511, 512 are shownfor LAN, internet or other network connection to other computersincluding related servers.

Clock Module 513—The clock module 513 provides a precise time base forthe microprocessor and also for coordinated scheduling of loads pursuantto an operating plan.

RS-232 514, 515—two of these connectors 514, 515 are shown forcommunication with a laptop used for configuring, or with a modem orother serial communication devices.

DIO 516—These are ports for sensor input signals, such as fortemperature, vibration, speed.

JTAG 517—This provides an access port for testing and diagnostics.

Control Methods. FIG. 7 shows a high level flow diagram forconfiguration and operation of the resource management system. As afirst step, the system provider analyzes a user'sproduction/output/enterprise objectives, the loads that are used toachieve these objectives (including load profile information) and theuser's past resource use. In this analysis opportunities can beidentified for reducing resource use or operating levels and shiftinguse to reduce peaks and fill valleys relative to control goals. Out ofthis process come defined overall operating plans and control goals andparticular operating plans and control goals for each system controlnode. In most cases these will require coordination among nodes, so theappropriate control messages are defined as part of defining theoperating plans and control goals for each system control node. Thispermits the hardware configuration for the RMC's, RMS's, and controlcenter control nodes to be defined and the hardware installed. Theresult is a map of components similar to FIGS. 1 and 3. The power linesprovide a tree-like structure that ends in various loads. The controlchannels show the network for flow of the information used in monitoringand control.

With the hardware in place, the system provider can install operatingplans and control goals in memory and/or secondary storage at the RMC's,RMS's, and control center. After testing of hardware with the load leveland group level control programs, load operations per the operatingplans begin. This includes both start up phase plans and ongoing, moresteady-state production/output plans. The various control nodes measureresource usage and monitor these levels against operating plans andcontrol goals at each of the control levels: RMC/load level; RMS/grouplevel; and control center. While the system as defined has bandwidthlimitations that make some autonomous operation desirable, there aremessage interchanges between nodes to permit coordination of the controlgoals at the multiple control nodes and control levels. Also, each nodemonitors operating conditions in and around it, to the extent theseconditions are relevant to following and adjusting parameters ofoperating plans and achieving control goals. Thus, the loadcontrollers/RMC's, the group level controllers/RMS's and the controlcenter monitor and control their various input ports for receivingsensor or status data and control messages. The processors at thevarious control nodes execute the controller computer programs to applythe operating plans and control goals sets. They may then adjust loadoperating levels responsive to measured resource usage levels, loadstatus and other inputs and control messages, operating plans andcontrol goals to reduce, shed, or add loads and to introduce generationresources. On an ongoing basis, and consistent with available bandwidth,the control nodes communicate relevant node status messages to othernodes that are part of an operating plan or control goal involvingmultiple control nodes. The various control nodes also monitor andimplement updates to operating plans and control goals that aredeveloped by local or remote optimizer modules. The measuring,monitoring, adjusting and communicating functions are implemented in oneor more loops for continuous control of operations. For simplicity, FIG.7 shows a single loop, but implementations would typically have severalloops, nested so as to permit frequent measuring of the parametersrequiring tight monitoring and control. As data from each of the variouscontrol nodes is collected, a database 152 is filled at control center150. The database 152 may be subjected to data mining that is useful toidentify waste for removal by revision of existing operating plans.

FIG. 10 shows another view of a resource (energy) management system 1000as shown in FIG. 3 a. Here utility 130 provides electrical power as aresource on lines 131. The power may be delivered at high voltage levelsto a transformer 1050 or other item of local distribution equipment atthe user site. (This equipment may be utility or user owned and may bemonitored over channel 1052 by control center 150 or alternatively by anRMS.) Loads L1 and L2 receiving power from lines 131 are part of acontrol group under RMS1 1020. Loads L3 and L4, also receiving powerfrom lines 131, are part of a similar control group under RMS2 1022.Loads L1 and L2 are each shown as having an associated load levelintelligent controller, RMCs 114 a, 114 b. Loads L3 and L4 each alsohave an associated load level intelligent controller/RMC 114 c, 114 d.Each RMC has a processor and includes a resource measuring component(RMU) for measuring the rate of use of the resource by the associatedload, including measuring at least one of an instantaneous usage rateand a usage rate over an integration period and (in one embodiment)measuring one or more supply weakness indicators; a load statuscomponent for receiving load status data for the associated load; acommunication component for receiving control messages from and sendingload status messages to other associated controllers; a memory forstoring a load control goal set and a load operating plan; and a loadlevel control computer program responsive to the resource measuringcomponent, the load status component, the control messages from otherassociated controllers, the load control goal set and, the loadoperating plan to determine a load operating level for, and providecontrol commands to, the associated load. As can be seen, because theRMC is connected to other controllers, the memory may hold only aworking portion of the load control goal set and load operating plan.The working portions may be received as needed from other control nodes,where storage in memory is limited or the data stored need updating.

Above RMS1 and RMS 2 in the control hierarchy is Control Center 150.Each of RMS1 and RMS2 has the ability to monitor the power flowing intoits load group with a group level RMU shown symbolically at 1010, 1012.Thus, for power consumption audits and power factor control, each ofRMS1 and the RMC's at L1, L2 may collect data on power factor as viewedat their particular node. (Similar data is available for RMS2 and theRMC's at L3, L4.) The RMC at each of L1 and L2 has a power factorcontroller module (PFC), which receives control signals from the RMC forL1 or L2 to connect/disconnect power factor adjustment elements (e.g.,capacitor banks) that may be used to improve the power factor. Althoughthe power factor controller 380 of FIG. 3 a is not shown in FIG. 10, apower factor controller under control of RMS1 or RMS2 may perform powerfactor correction at its level of the control system.

FIG. 10 also shows RMSn to indicate that essentially any number of RMS'smay be present in a system. Control center 150 provides supervisorycontrol over RMS1, RMS2, . . . RMSn 1020, 1022, 1024. Thus, if each RMSrepresents a different site for one customer, control center 150 mayprovide control for that customer that balances the operating plans andcontrol goals at each of its sites. If RMS1 and RMS2 are at differentsites for one customer and RMSn is a site of a second customer, thencontrol center 150 is positioned to do control management for eachcustomer separately, pursuing the separate operating plans and controlgoals for each customer. In addition, by contract with each customer,the control center 150 may have the right and/or obligation to performoptimization with both customers in mind and agreed terms of exchange(Market Module/Rules 270 in FIG. 2) if one customer gives up acontrolled portion of its resource access to provide more of thatresource to the other user, while the control center 150 remainsconsistent with its control goals.

FIG. 10 also shows the communication channels that permit data andcontrol messages to be moved between and among control nodes. Thesechannels may be wired, wireless (RF, microwave or other) or signalsoverlaid on power lines. As seen in FIG. 10, channels 1018 connect RMS1to its associated RMC's and channels 1028 connect RMS2 to its associatedRMC's. Further channels 160 connect RMS1, RMS2 and RMSn to the controlcenter 150. Arrows with dotted lines show that in some embodiments, theloads in a group (e.g., L1, L2) may also have a direct communicationchannel. FIG. 10 also shows communication channel 170 between utility130 and control center 150.

Control Examples. To further understand how the various levels of RMC's,RMS's and control center 150 as shown in FIG. 10 implement the overallcontrol functions discussed in connection with FIG. 7, it is helpful toconsider three categories of loads and some examples of control actionsthat provide energy cost savings. The three types of loads are: (A)loads that a control system may freely shed or adjust; (B) loads that acontrol system normally can shed or adjust only subject to a set ofcontrol constraints that protect the load and/or the user objectives;and (C) high priority or essential loads, such as life support systemsor all or portions of medical or public safety related facilities, whichare normally not shed. In normal situations, the present system willaddress issues by controlling power consumption at load types A and B,and simply preserve delivery of power to loads of type C.

Spinning reserves are sized to accommodate unknown contingencies and thespeed with which those contingencies are handled. Contingencies occurall the time due to weather condition, equipment failure, etc. However,if the response of the load control is sufficiently fast, the size ofthe spinning reserves can be reduced significantly. This means that lessefficient equipment can remain in an off state, reducing fuelconsumption, reducing environmental pollution, etc. The present systemproposes an extremely fast demand control solution that pre-allocatesblocks of current loads, allowing the shedding of blocks of loads (1MWatt, 2 MWatt, 5 MWatt, etc) in sub-second intervals using groupbroadcasts to nodes. The loads that constitute the block loads aredynamically allocated based on real-time load measurements. Loads areallocated by priority, area and previous (historical) load shedding.Loads may not be disconnected immediately after receiving the groupcommand. A random delay may be introduced to ensure that loads aredisconnected in a controlled fashion, thereby preventing any networkinstability, such as oscillations that might be caused by a suddeninterruption of load.

The following are examples of control strategies available to an RMC, anRMS and/or a control center in the present system. They show theflexibility of a multi-control node network organized according to theprinciples taught in this application. However, other strategies may beimplemented with the same basic components, depending on the user'sparticular loads, environment and objectives.

RMC Control Examples. An RMC can keep a type A load within its allocatedenergy consumption by following the load operating plan and monitoringthe changes in energy consumption that occur as the operating programfor that load is executed. The RMU measures energy use over someintegration period that reflects steady state usage levels. If theamount of energy in-flowing begins to approach the load level limit, theRMC can use any available operating level adjustment options to reducethe load's energy consumption, such as reducing motor speed to continuean operation at a lower rate, cycling an air conditioner compressor onand off while staying near a comfort goal, or, for a cumulative processbased on electrical current (e.g., plating) reduce the current andextend the production schedule in the operating plan so that the desiredamount of plating is spread over a longer time. When necessary, the typeA load can also be shed completely. In some cases a type B load can bepart of this same RMC control strategy, but, for a type B load, anyaction, such as cycling on-off, has to be consistent with the controlconstraints for the affected load, which are made available to the RMCcontrol program if it controls a type B load.

Another strategy that an RMC may execute responds to a current energyconsumption measurement, and also uses load profile data, the operatingplan and local production/output/enterprise objectives to displace loadactivity to an earlier or later time frame, during which that load has agreater allocation of energy under the governing control goal set. Forexample, if it is clear that to meet an operating plan or control goal aload such as a freezer must have little or no energy consumption in apeak period of use of other loads to occur in two hours hour, the RMCcontrol program can determine that the freezer might be operated at ahigher level or continuously until the required low/zero consumptionperiod. This will lower temperature in the freezer sufficiently that thetemperature rise necessarily occurring in the required low/zeroconsumption period will not reach the high temperature limit thatdamages frozen goods. Such displacement functions may be performed bythe load level control programs changing the operating plan, such as atthe RMCs 114 a, 114 b, 114 n in FIG. 10, within the operating range ofthe load that each controls. This advanced start strategy can be usefulfor those loads where the early energy input has a persisting effect(either in the load itself or in the environment it effects), one whichlasts into the later period when energy use needs to be limited(persisting effect load). The loads controlled with this strategy may betype A or type B, consistent with the control constraints for the type Bload.

If the operating plan for an RMC calls for a particular operating levelfor a load and there is no need to adjust that operating level by reasonof an energy control goal, the RMC's control program may neverthelesstake actions responsive to certain load status data. Such data mayinclude sensed data about the load, such as speed, pressure,temperature, vibration, number of certain repetitive operations,acceleration, on/off duty cycle and efficiency measures. Depending onthe status data item and its acceptable ranges as defined in loadprofile data, the control program for the load may adjust the load orshut it down, if damage to the load device or other adverse consequencesare indicated by the load status data.

The RMC may also receive and respond to environmental data that issensed at the load or communicated to the load. For example, an expectedcold spell might lead to a change in the operating plan for heatingequipment that is a persisting effect load, such that it would be turnedon earlier in a low rate period, to build up heat in a building or inoutdoor process equipment, to reduce later increased input of energy forthat heating load that is predictable based on the expected cold spell.

If an RMC is provided a load's expected start up instantaneous energyuse pattern, it can monitor the actual start up instantaneous energy usepattern and compare it to the expected use pattern. A deviation from theexpected start up pattern that leads to higher instantaneous energy usemay initiate the RMC control program to send a message to an RMS, whichmay respond with an error or maintenance message to system operatorsand/or by shifting the start-up of this load to a different time frame,so that the peak resulting from start-up will rise from a different,lower base level and not be so high.

When an RMC measures power factor over some integration period thatreflects steady state usage levels, and the RMC finds that the powerfactor is unsatisfactory (e.g., less than 0.96), it may introduce powerfactor control elements that adjust the power factor as observed at theload to unity or a level that helps avoid any utility-imposed penalty(keeping in mind that the utility will measure power factor for theentire user site).

Further, the control program at an RMC offers the fastest route to loadshedding when that is time-critical. For example, where the RMC has anRMU with the ability to sense supply weakness from measurements (e.g.,rate of decline from standard supply frequency values) made at the load,the RMC control program can take immediate action to adjust or shed theloads it controls. Although an RMC may also receive a warning or controlmessage from other supply weakness sensors not located at the load orfrom a utility, these may not come fast enough for the RMC to takeaction to relieve system stress. There may be critical timing inshedding a load to avoid stress responses or damage in the load or thetransmission system. Load weakness sensing and direct load sheddingaction by an RMC avoids delays inherent in transmitting and receiving amessage and taking the shedding action. Such direct action may benecessary to head off an overload situation that may arise in fractionsof a second or a few seconds.

RMS Control Examples. Because an RMS controls a group, it will measurethe total power going into the loads in its control group. If that totalpower (measured over some integration period that reflects steady stateusage levels) deviates from the operating plan or approaches a controlgoal limit, the RMS control program may respond by sending controlmessages causing one or more RMC's to reduce operation or shed its load.When the RMS has two or more RMC's with associated loads and they aretype A or B loads, the RMS has more control options. It can use messagesto certain RMC's to reduce the operating rate of two coordinated loadsby some fraction that preserves their working relationship. Or it mayrecognize that one load is more adjustable than another and fine-tuneits operating level by messages to one RMC that achieve just enough of apower consumption reduction. When a control goal so requires, the RMScan send shedding or operating rate adjustment messages to one or moreRMC's to turn off or adjust the rate of the associated loads. Withoperating profile data and operating plans that reflect user operationalgoals, the RMC can optimize a power consumption reduction with anycombination of shedding and load adjustment actions that provide thedesired reductions relative to the governing operating plan and/or thegroup control goal set and fit any control constraints for the type Bloads in the load group. For example, the RMS may apply a strategy ofcycling several loads on and off in sequence to reduce the consumptionof that load group for a period, or it may find two equivalent loads,such as air conditioner compressors, that serve one objective and useonly one of them at a time, although together during the defined periodthey get enough power to largely preserve a user-defined comfort goal.

Although in most cases an RMC will be used to reduce operating levelsand keep a load's power consumption consistent with a load leveloperating plan, for an RMS there may be opportunities to increase aload's power consumption. These opportunities arise when an RMS's loadgroup is operating sufficiently below its group control goal set andthere may be a value to the user in increasing consumption, for example,increasing production at one load when there is a known productionbacklog at that load and its point in the production process. If theopportunity arises in a maximum cost period (highest utility rates), theRMS can calculate whether the value of the increased production oroutput is worth the cost of increased power consumption. In a lower rateperiod, there is a greater chance that the increase in production willprovide a cost-effective benefit. Properly configured, the RMS canrecognize and evaluate the opportunity using rate rules 330 (see FIG. 3a) and analyzing operating plans and load profile data. With rate rulesthat fully reflect the utility-user rate agreement, the RMS can computefor any given period and planned operating plan the expected billing. Ifan increase in consumption makes economic sense, the RMS identifies theavailable power relative to the group control goal and then sends acontrol message to one or more RMC's, causing one or more to increaseits load's operating level by drawing on some or all of the availablepower (i.e., approximately the difference between the current powerconsumption level and the control goal limit for the group).

FIG. 13 shows a highly simplified example of a opportunity to increasethe operating level at one load, when power demand is lower thananticipated relative to an operating plan and/or a control goal atanother load. As shown in FIG. 13, a load L1 may have a control goalwith a maximum (steady state) consumption level depicted by light, solidline 1312, which varies over three time intervals shown in thehorizontal scale. The light dotted line 1310 shows in simplified formthe consumption level for L1 based on its operating plan, which is belowthe control goal 1312 in all time intervals shown in the horizontalscale. In the middle interval, between T1 and T2, the difference(denoted 1340) between the consumption level expected from the operatingplan and the control goal for L1 is significant. For this example, weassume from the operating plan that consumption at L1 will remain atthis reduced level throughout the middle interval T1 to T2.

In the upper part of FIG. 13 is the comparable information for anotherload L2. Here the load L2 has a control goal with a maximum (steadystate) consumption level depicted by dark, solid line 1332, which alsovaries over three time intervals shown in the horizontal scale. The darkdotted line 1330 shows in simplified form that the consumption level forL2 based on its operating plan is just below the control goal 1332 inall time intervals shown in the horizontal scale. An RMS controlling theRMC's for the two loads, L1, L2 and having access to relevant rate rules330 (see FIG. 3 a), operating plans and load profile data, can recognizethat the difference 1340 represents power that can be used at L2 withoutviolating the aggregate maximum control goal, represented by the sum ofthe control goals for L1 and L2. Thus, in the middle interval, betweenT1 and T2 in L1's operating plan, an amount of power equal to thedifference 1340 can be consumed at L2 by increasing its operating levelto the extent permitted by making that difference 1340 available at L2.The light and dark double dotted lines at the top of FIG. 13 show thatin the interval between T1 and T2, the difference 1340 can be used asadded power 1350, with the consumption level per an adjusted operatingplan for L2 remaining below the adjusted control goal created by the RMSand communicated to the RMC for L2. Note that because L1 has a slightlyshorter interval between T1 and T2 than the full middle interval T1 toT3 for load L2, L2 does not enjoy the added power 1350 for the entiremiddle interval T1 to T3 in the L2 operating plan. Nevertheless the lowlevel of consumption foreseeable at L1 provides a significantopportunity to permit L2 to operate at a higher rate.

As with an RMC, which may look forward in an operating plan, identify apersisting effect at a load and use that information to move forward ascheduled start time for a load, to avoid a foreseeable, later threat toa load level control goal, the RMS can do the same thing with a grouplevel control goal. Again, the RMS has its entire control group of typeA and type B loads to use in formulating the advance start strategy. Forexample, the RMS may use in the strategy the loads known to have agreater persisting effect from use of power, because of the storagenature of the load. Thus, a freezer that is seldom opened (e.g., only byservice personnel), may hold a lowered temperature longer after it isachieved, than a similar freezer that is constantly being opened byconsumers. The former may be a better candidate for displacing power useto an earlier time period to lower its temperature. The RMS can storeand use data on the persisting effect characteristics of its group ofloads. Thus, the RMS can identify which loads have little persistingvalue from accelerated energy consumption or which lose whatever valuethey have very rapidly. The data can be represented by a set of rise anddecay curves. The curve data can show which loads are less useful in anadvance start displacement strategy that moves a load's resourceconsumption to an earlier period, so as to avoid a peak period.

Although an RMS primarily controls with group operating plans andcontrol goals leading its computations, it may also monitor parametersthat matter to one or more individual loads. As with the RMC, these maybe parameters that reflect the status or condition of the load or itsenvironment. For example, the RMS may monitor the ambient temperature ina room filled with loads that are heat sensitive. The RMS may then sendmessages with data of interest or control commands to any RMC in theRMS' control group. An RMC may also monitor the key load statusparameters of one more loads, to see if these are within the acceptablelimits. If one or more of these parameters is outside limits as measuredat the RMS, the RMS again may send a message with data of interest orcontrol commands to the affected RMC.

The RMS can be particularly helpful in controlling high instantaneouspeak power levels. As noted above, these occur most frequently at loadstart-up. The RMU at an RMS can measure these, because they are visiblein the power lines monitored at its level, and the RMS can receive fromRMC's reports of actual instantaneous peak power levels as measured atspecific loads. The RMS can then plan and execute a start-up sequencethat monitors instantaneous peak power levels. For example, if loads X,Y and Z all need to be started up in order to work together, the RMSwill first formulate an operating plan that defines the order ofstart-up and has controls that keep the start-up sequences fromoverlapping. Then, the RMS can perform the start-up sequence and monitorinstantaneous peak power levels. These permit the RMS to observe at itslevel the group power consumption, including the added spike caused by aparticular load that is undergoing its scheduled start up. With goodinformation about the expected start-up spike profile, the RMS canobserve that all start-up sequence transients from that load are past.Then, the RMS may immediately start the next load in the sequence. Inthis way, the RMS can reduce or eliminate the overlap and accumulationof instantaneous peak power levels from loads, X, Y and Z, so that theinstantaneous peak power level demand the utility observes and uses forbilling is reduced relative to the instantaneous peak power level thatmay arise from overlapping starting sequences.

The RMS can also play an important role in achieving power factor goalsand reducing or avoiding utility-imposed penalties for bad powerfactors. The RMS may control an entire site or just a load group at asite. It can monitor power factor for power flowing into all the loadsunder it, directly or by reports from individual loads/RMC's. With thisinformation, the RMS can address power factor problems. Again, it hasavailable for its power factor control strategy all of the loads underits control and their associated power factor control elements, as wellas power factor control elements existing at the RMS. In some cases, theRMS may be able to select loads with offsetting power factorcharacteristics. In other cases, the RMS will simply measure from timeto time the power factor at one or more control nodes where there isavailable power factor correction equipment and use its control overmultiple nodes to construct a unity power factor profile as seen at theRMS, or at least a power factor above the level at which the utilityapplies a penalty.

Control Center Control Examples. The control center 150 also can employstrategies to make power consumption more efficient, as viewed acrossall the RMS's that are controlled by the control center. The controlcenter 150 can perform essentially all of the control tasks describedabove for an RMS, but it typically has more options for developing astrategy to achieve a control goal. It can deal with each RMS as a unitand adjust the operating plans at the RMS level. It can also use moredetailed, load level information and communicate control messages downthrough the RMS's to individual RMC's. Although there is increasedcomplexity and there may be some bandwidth limitations that make itdifficult to construct control loops with quick response times, thecontrol center 150 (in theory at least) has all type A and type B loadsunder control of the RMS's governed by the control center 150 availableas controllable units to adjust load operating levels and to shed loads.Thus, where one control node has a control goal problem or needs achange in operating plan, there are many other control nodes in thenetwork that can be evaluated at the control center 150 as a possiblepart of the solution. This may require significant computing power toexamine many combinations, but with computer monitoring of resource useand control of many nodes. solutions derived from and responsive to thevarious operating plans, operating profile data and control goals can beformulated and implemented.

In some instances, as with an RMS, the control center strategy may alsoinvolve increasing resource use at some load, where one load group isoperating well below its operating plan or control goals for some reason(e.g., slowdown in orders that causes a slowdown in production;unseasonably cool weather on one area that reduces air conditioningpower needs; labor or component availability factors limitingproduction) and another load group would like to expand its power usebeyond its normal control goals. If there is available resource capacityand no higher level control goal violation, then the control center canreallocate resource use among groups and/or users for some predeterminedperiod of time. As can be seen, when the service provider uses a controlcenter 150 to make an overall, multiple user usage level commitment orbilling arrangement with a utility, the control center 150 becomes theimportant means to achieve that.

More specifically, where a user has more that one site and more than oneRMS, the control center can modify operating plans to use the advancedstart-up strategy discussed above to do peak reduction and valleyfilling for the aggregated steady state power consumption of the one ofmore sites. In addition, the opportunities for reduction ofinstantaneous peak power levels may become greater for a multi-siteuser, if the instantaneous peak power level on which the user's billingis currently based has been established without coordination of loadstart-up times. The control center 150 can formulate an operating planthat defines the order of start-up for all loads at all sites and (withsufficient messaging bandwidth in channels 160) has controls that keepthe start-up sequences from overlapping. Then, the control center 150can cause the RMS's under its control to perform the start-up sequenceand monitor instantaneous peak power levels. These permit each of themultiple RMS's to observe at its level the group power consumption,including the added spike caused by a particular load that is undergoinga scheduled start up, and to communicate that to the control center 150.With information about the start-up from each RMS, the control center150 can observe when all start-up sequence transients from each load arepast. Then, the control center 150 can direct the applicable RMS tostart the next load in the sequence. In this way the control center 150working with multiple RMS's can reduce or eliminate the overlap andaccumulation of instantaneous peak power levels, so that theinstantaneous peak power level demand that the utility observes for theuser across all the sites and that it uses for billing is reducedrelative to the instantaneous peak power level that may arise fromrandom or unplanned overlapping start-up sequences.

The control center 150 also may have a better overview of trends ofpower usage that will require control intervention. For example, thecontrol center may discern a trend toward increased power consumption ata first site and review its operating plans and control options at othersites to see if there is a broader problem that needs early interventionor, perhaps, a second site with a lower consumption trend that might beused to offset the increased power consumption at the first site.

Data Structures. FIGS. 11 and 12 show schematically simplified examplesof how the parameters used for control at a load level control node(load controller, RMC) and at a load group level control node (groupcontroller, RMS) may be defined and analyzed for purposes of specifyingoperating plans and control goals. In FIG. 11 a table appears that listsin the first column a number of parameters that may be measured at aload or measured elsewhere and communicated to a load controller/RMC. Asseen in the second column, some of these parameters are the subject ofcontrol goals (steady state power consumed by load, power factor) andthus are continuously monitored for consistency with part of the controlgoal set defined in this second column. As seen in the fourth column,other parameters are relevant to the operating plan and the subject ofsome exception condition or adjustment action defined in the operatingplan, which may provide for a responsive action of the RMC. It may behelpful to view all of these parameters together in a data structure asshown, because all are part of the RMC control program, and the pursuitof an operating plan and the failure of a device to follow anticipatedresults of an operating plan may be relevant to the pursuit of a controlgoal. As seen in the third column, some of the parameters arecommunicated by the RMC from the load level to another control node; inthe example of FIG. 11, communication flows up to an RMS. Whereparameters are of local interest only, i.e., significant to the load butnot used elsewhere, the table notes that.

For the measured parameters that are subject to a load level controlgoal, the second column indicates how the control goal may be specified.For example, the steady state power to a load may be monitored bycomparison to a high limit that reflects the maximum power inputpermitted to the load, at least without an exception permitted by ahigher level of control or providing an operating plan that overridesthe control goal. Similarly, a low power level limit for a load may beused as part of control, to identify if a device is being underutilizedor has some defect, requiring a notice. The collection of values thatare subject to control correspond to the control goal set for the loadcontroller, which as noted above, can have multiple dimensions.

The power factor variable is shown as having only a low limit. For someloads, an near perfect power factor is hard to achieve, so interventionwith a power factor controller is only called for at a value recognizedas low for that load type or at the lower limit that triggers a utilitypenalty or losses become too high.

The supply weakness index has been discussed above as a stimulus foremergency load shedding. Here the load controller can do nothing tocontrol the value measured, but it can take a quick shedding action thatmay help the utility recover. The device temperature, pressure, etc. andcounter data shown in FIG. 11 are all load status data items that aretypically not part of a control goal feedback loop but may be usefulinputs to an operating plan to initiate adjusting an operating level tocurrent conditions or to execute a shedding operation or messagereporting load status.

An instantaneous view of device start-up may be of interest at the RMC,not because the power level in start-up spikes can be controlled, butfor a different kind of response. The instantaneous start-up pattern canbe monitored relative to a benchmark and used to determine if the deviceis developing some type of defect. The defect may lead to a notice andto a maintenance intervention.

In FIG. 12 appears a table that lists in the first column a number ofparameters that may be measured at an RMS/load group controller ormeasured elsewhere and communicated to the group controller as inputs toits control program. As seen in the second column, some of these valuesare the subject of RMS group level control goals (power input to load,power factor) and thus are continuously monitored for consistency withthe RMS load group control goal set. As seen in the fourth column, otherparameters are relevant to the group operating plan and the subject ofsome exception condition or adjustment action defined in the operatingplan and which may provide for a responsive action. As with the RMC/loadcontroller, it is helpful to view all of these variables together,because all are part of the RMS control program, and the pursuit of anoperating plan and the failure of a device to follow anticipated resultsof an operating plan may be relevant to the pursuit of an RMS controlgoal. As seen in the third column, some of the values may becommunicated from the RMS/group level to the user's ERP or to anothercontrol node. Where values are of local interest only, i.e., significantto the local group controller but not elsewhere, the table notes that.

For the measured parameters that are subject to a control goal, thesecond column indicates how the control goal may be specified. Forexample, the power to a load group may be monitored by comparison to ahigh limit that reflects the maximum input power that is permitted tothe load group, at least without an exception permitted by a higherlevel of control. Similarly, a low level limit on power to a load groupmay be used as part of control, to determine if a group of devices isbeing underutilized or has some defect, requiring a notice.Underutilization for a load group may indicate an opportunity to addload or sell or trade over-capacity. The collection of values that aresubject to control as shown in FIG. 12 correspond to the control goalset for the RMS/group controller, which as noted above, can havemultiple dimensions.

As with a load controller, the power factor variable is shown as havingonly a low limit. For some groups of loads, a near-perfect power factoris hard to achieve, so intervention with a power factor controller isonly called for at a value recognized as low for that load group type.

The RMS/group controller may monitor external ambient temperature,which, of course, it cannot control, and track forecast temperatures.These values may be of importance for making changes to an operatingplan. For example, it may help provide advance start-up for heating andcooling, by scheduling load activity outside of peak periods, but wherethe power input has an effect that lasts into peak periods.

The RMS/group controller has the ability to oversee contributions frommultiple loads that may be part of an operating plan governingsub-processes leading to a higher level production/output goal. Thus,some of the measured parameters are relevant to an operating plan ifthey are to low, even if there is no control goal that will work toimprove the measured value. Also, some of these values are of interestto programs running on a customer's ERP, so they are passed on to theERP 380.

Additional System Functions. The system as described above is designedfor a service provider to aid a user in more efficient management anduse of utility-supplied resources. However, the information produced andthe information storage and management components present can beextended to other useful activities. These include a utility paymentservice based on sharing savings, user information and interactiveremote control services, utility information and remote control servicesand user asset management services. However, one or more components ofthe system could also be installed by a resource consumer for a resourceuse optimization plan it makes and implements by itself, without aservice provider.

Utility Payment Service with Sharing of Savings Against Baseline.Because of the complexity of the present system, it may be difficult toexplain to potential users and purchasers. Users may not believe thesystem can produce savings or may not want to invest in it without aclear idea of what benefits it will produce. To address this, thesystems can be configured with additional functionality that makes useof the data collected and the measuring and monitoring of power atvarious levels, including the overall site level. The system providerwill likely study the user's historical records as part of thedevelopment of RMC and RMS control programs. From these historicalrecords, the system provider and the user can define one or morehistorical baselines. The baselines may be actual billings for the sametime period in a prior year or may include adjustments for changes inuser's production activity or weather. The user and the system providermay contractually agree that the system provider will only earn fees ifthe system provides the user savings as compared to the historicalbaseline, and the system provider will take as payment a portion ofthese savings (calculated by an agreed percentage or other formula), soas to provide an incentive for increasing them.

For example, in one embodiment the baseline may be based on a knownbilled amount for a specified period for a load or facility that doesnot vary significantly in resource usage because of weather, changingoperating plans or other factors. If the historical resource costbaseline for such a load or facility and a specified period were $10,000and the use of the herein-described load controllers and groupcontrollers with well-configured control goal sets could drive to $9,000the resource cost billing for a user for a specified comparable period,the total savings would be $1000 and the user could be billed the actualresource cost billing plus ten percent ($9000 plus $100) or twentypercent ($9000 plus $200) (or actually plus any factor less than 100percent) of the total savings of $1000.

Under this arrangement, the system provider determines the differencebetween a current utility bill during the service period and therelevant historical baseline and bills the user for the amount of theactual utility bill plus the agreed and computed savings factor, apercentage of savings reflected in the supplier's current resource usebill as compared to the applicable baseline. The system provider may payeach utility bill before or after receiving payment from the user. Thesystem provider keeps the its percentage of the total savings amount. Bycareful study of the historical usage levels, the past billings and thesavings opportunities offered by the user's particular mix of loads andidentified waste situations (resulting from use of one of more levels ofthe controllers described above), the service provider can developoperating plans and/or control goals likely to deliver savings for mostusers. The extent of these savings can define the value provided by thesystem for that particular user and provide a source for compensationfor the service/system provider.

In another embodiment, the baseline may be based on average KWH cost ina specified billing. This baseline helps deal with changing operatingplans and varying usage levels. Here the baseline might show that for aspecified past billing period, the user used 5000 KWH and had an averagecost of $0.07 per KWH. If the use of the herein-described loadcontrollers and group controllers with well-configured control goal setscould drive to $0.06 per KWH the average energy cost for a user for aspecified comparable period, the total savings would be $0.01 per KWH.If the user used the same 5000 KWH and was to pay the bill directly, theservice provider could bill the user a fraction of the total savings of5000 KWH times $0.01 per KWH or $50. For example, the service providercould charge the user ten percent of savings ($5) or twenty percent ofsavings ($10) for that billing period or actually any factor less than100 percent of the total savings of $50 resulting from the reducedaverage KWH charge in that billing period.

Because the system already measures and collects detailed informationabout the power (or other resource) used, the system provider canrelatively easily make the computations needed to define the differencebetween a current billing and an agreed historical baseline, withappropriate adjustments for the user's level of activity, so thatdownturns in user activity (e.g., unit production and sales of someproduct), which may affect resources consumed, are taken out of thecomputation. Then only the actual savings provided by the systemrelative to historical resource consumption costs for a comparable levelof user activity will be identified and shared.

FIG. 14 provides a high level flowchart for one form of billing theuser, based on the service provider paying the utility bill and billingits customer for this amount plus a computed service charge. (The lasttwo steps would change if the service provide let the user pay the billand then billed separately after computing the savings. While theflowchart shows payment based on shared savings alone, the parties cancombine this with other compensation. For example, the user may pay aminimum base fee per billing period or additional services fees thatreflect other value provided by the system, beyond resource consumptioncost savings, e.g., a productivity premium if greater productivity canbe achieved for the resource consumption at or below baseline levels.

User Information And Interactive Remote Control Services. A user who hasthe present system installed on its site(s) and loads may wish to accessinformation developed by the system, so that the system can be moreeffectively adapted to the user's particular requirements. The user alsomay wish to have some of the automatic control functions of the systemsubject to override or to adjustment based on the judgment of userpersonnel.

Because a commercial user's primary interest will usually be in resourcecosts and balancing costs against the business objectives that arepursued in operating plans, the present system is most useful when itstores or has accessible the billing arrangements for one or more users(e.g., rate rules 330 in FIG. 3 a). These may be standard, publishedtariffs or, more likely for large commercial users, customized,negotiated terms stated in a user-utility contract. (In fact, the systemprovider may join with the user in the rate negotiations, to helpstrengthen the user's position that it will have full and accurate dataon resource use at the various loads.) With the rate rules stored, thesystem can use measured resource use data to compute current billingsand predicted use information from operating plans to compute expectedbillings, assuming that a known operating plan is to be followed at oneor more loads for the period of interest. Thus, the system can deliverstatements of incurred but not yet billed resource costs and “what if”pro form a statements showing anticipated billings of resource costs fordefined time periods.

To facilitate the user information and control objectives, the systemaccumulates resource use and other data of interest from various RMC'sand RMS's, storing it at these levels (control nodes) but also passingall or much of it to the control center databases on database servers152. Here a database management system, such as an Oracle system orsimilar relational database, maintains the data and provides a widevariety of reporting functions. To make the data and functionsuser-accessible, the system provider makes available by direct systemaccess at a workstation 310 or by web or other remote access one or moreuser interface screens that permit the user to navigate through avariety of functions. As seen in FIG. 15, a user interface(display/decision/control) screen 1500 may generally be divided intouser reporting functions 1510 and user control/message functions 1520.Under reporting functions 1510 a user may select various reports onconsumption rates. These may be selected based on different levels ofthe system: e.g., Load/Group/User Site/User. In addition, the user maylook at data for the current integration period, the prior integrationperiods and prior days, weeks, months or other time frames. Additionalcustom consumption reports also may be formulated.

As further seen in FIG. 15, the user has additional screen selectionsfor viewing tariff information and billing information. Because thesystem may be configured with the utilities' billing rates, includingspecial billing rates and rules documented in a user-utility contract,and has detailed, accurate resource consumption data, the system cancalculate billings as accurately as the utility (sometimes, even moreaccurately). The latter capability permits the user to monitor costs farbetter than traditional monthly billings. It also permits compilation ofprojected billings where the only accuracy issue is in the prediction offuture resource use based on operating plans.

FIG. 15 also shows user interface controls for reports on assetmanagement. Because the present system tracks all loads it controls andmonitors their condition through status data, it collects a great dealof detailed information of the kind useful for an asset inventory.Accordingly, the system provider can use in its load tracking databasesthe user's equipment identification and link to other user data on suchequipment. Thus, the databases in the present system can either becomethe asset inventory databases for the user or can provide additionalinformation to supplement the user's asset inventory database. FIG. 15shows under the “Asset Management” heading a number of navigational cuesand selections that permit users to access data on loads and also onother assets, when the data for these is either kept on the presentsystem or the present system can link to other databases usingcommunication facilities of the control center 150 or an RMS.

The status data on the load equipment is updated frequently in thepresent system and provides specific information on actual operatingconditions. Thus, it can assist the user in tracking and caring for allits capital or leased equipment, where the user's desired equipmentasset inventory overlaps significantly with the loads controlled by thesystem. For example, data that show the load step or start-upcharacteristics of a load, which are of interest for other reasonsdiscussed above relating to improved operating efficiency and energycost savings, may be monitored over time. If a load step changes slowlyover time, the system may detect this as an indicator of decliningcondition calling for predictive maintenance. For example, if anair-conditioner load steps are smaller over a few years, the system canpredict that the air-conditioner gas is leaking and needs to bereplaced. For other assets, the load step increase or decrease over timemay be monitored for its diagnostic value as to an impending failure orthe need to perform routine maintenance in response to normal wear andtear. Thus, to implement the method, historical load step data aredetected and stored. Data mining algorithms are used to find patterns ofinterest for condition detection. Such patterns may include the slowdecline in the magnitude of load step mentioned above or a change in theshape of a load step (instantaneous values) relative to a shapeassociated with new equipment or with in-specification andproperly-adjusted equipment. Simple numerical operating parameters mayalso be measured and compared to values known to be associated with goodor bad equipment operating condition (e.g., as reported by amanufacturer or recorded in a system.)

For example, the data structures shown in FIG. 11, which provideinformation on a particular load that is of interest to the RMC controlprograms of the present system, may provide a base record for each pieceof load equipment that can be merged with or tied to other inventoryrecords or can be the start of a database of load equipment assets. Eachload record used in the present system may be expanded with other data(purchase price, depreciation, repair records, safety records, lease ormaintenance terms, security interest, etc.) appropriate for a usefulasset tracking system and management system.

As seen on the right hand side of FIG. 15, the screens of the userinterface may also include certain control or message functions 1520.These provide a user the opportunity to shape the otherwise automaticcontrol behavior of the system. The user may view various kinds ofsituation reports and view maps and operating plans that may help anoperator make control judgments. The user may then intervene in aselected situation and exercise control over one or more loads. Thesystem provider may choose to take certain precautions to protectagainst liability for a user's intervention and overriding of thecontrol systems. First, the user will use passwords, authenticationmeans and protocols to ensure that only an authorized operator exercisesthis control and that the person signs off in an identifiable way fortheir exercise of a control option. Second, the system provider maylimit the range of override options or structure the user's exercise ofthe options to provide any needed warnings of the consequences ofexercising an override option.

One important control option arises when a utility negotiates a sheddingright that gives a user the choice of accepting the utility's sheddingdemand or paying a penalty for refusing to let the utility shed one ormore loads. In this situation, the user needs to have the ability tocalculate the costs that will be incurred it the penalty is imposed, sothat these can be balanced against the lost revenue from lost productionor other effects if one or more loads are shed and an operating plancannot be followed for some period of time. A spreadsheet or otherdevice for displaying multiple scenarios with built in computations maybe part of the user interface. This permits the user to display andevaluate the options and then to communicate back to the utility itsdecision, knowing with a fair degree of accuracy the economic impact ofits decision. The scenario data permits the user to make and informeddecision.

The control/message functions section of the user interface also permitsa user to review and issue a variety of messages, including alarms,system notices and utility notices. The user can also initiate messagesto the control center 150 or various other control nodes and the controlcenter 150 can pass on messages directed by a user to a utility (or viceversa).

In sum, the system may provide a user interface that presents to a userreporting options to derive reports from data stored in the systemdatabases including: resource consumption measured for loads, resourceconsumption measured for groups of loads, rates of resource consumptionfor loads, rates of resource consumption for groups of loads, actualbilling from the resource supplier, projected billing from the resourcesupplier, load status, alarms, and messages transmitted between andamong controllers. In addition, the system user interface may present toa user controls to initiate load control actions including: switchingone or more loads “off”, adjusting the operating rate for one or moreloads, adjusting the operating plan for one or more loads to move loadoperation to a different time, adjusting the operating plan for one ormore loads to move load start-up to a different time and making economicchoices when resource costs have to be balanced against businessobjectives.

Utility Information And Remote Control Services. A utility that providesresources to a user that has the present system installed on its site(s)and loads may wish to access information developed by the system, sothat the utility gets the benefits of a level of detail it normallylacks about the user's resource consumption. The utility also may wishto exercise certain control functions that are available to it in thesystem, where, by contract, the utility and the user have agreed thatthe utility may unilaterally take some action. The system then providesthe means for a utility to exercise that control, with much the samepower as available to a user

As noted, the system accumulates data of interest from various RMS's andRMS's, storing it at these levels but also passing all or much of it tothe control center databases on database servers 152. Here a databasemanagement system maintains the data and provides a wide variety ofreporting functions. To make the data and functions accessible to autility, the system provider makes available by web or other remoteaccess one or more interface screens that permit the utility to navigatethrough a variety of functions. As seen in FIG. 16, a utility interface(display/decision/control) screen 1600 may generally be divided intobilling report functions 1610 and control options 1620. Under billingreport functions, a utility representative may select various reports oncustomer (system user) consumption rates. These may be selected based ondifferent levels of the system: e.g., Overall/Group/Load view. Inaddition, the utility may look at historical data. This includes:maximum demand for any integration period, maximum demand for selectedtime range, instantaneous peak demand for any integration period,instantaneous peak demand for a selected time range, and other data inthe database for the system. Further, the utility interface can provideaccess to billing and payment information, including current billingprojected to date, past billing periods and payment records. Additionalcustom reports of various kinds also may be formulated by the utilitypersonnel. The data can be made more useful by employing graphingfunctions, also accessible on the utility interface screen.

Because, as noted above, the system, may be configured with theutilities' billing rates and rules and has detailed, accurate resourceconsumption data, the system can calculate billings as accurately as theutility. Thus, a utility may use the result of system billingcalculations observable via the utility interface to check itscomputations and to anticipate possible billing disputes.

Under the control options 1620 portion of the utility interface, theutility may be provided an opportunity to exercise control over certainuser facilities, as agreed by contract with the user and the resourcemanagement system provider. As seen in FIG. 16, the utility may selectthe location where it wishes to exercise an agreed control option. Theutility may shed loads or provide notices advising a user of “voluntary”shedding action, e.g., tariff adjustments that may incent a user to takevoluntary shedding action. A display of tariff adjustment options may beprovided to the utility, based on existing user-utility contracts. Alsoby contract, the utility may arrange to start up a user's generatingcapacity (or tap its storage of a storable resource) to feed resourcesback to the utility for its distribution. The utility's access togenerating facilities or stored resources may be automatic, based on acommand from the utility directly to equipment or may be exercised bymessages requesting user action.

The control options menu 1620 also includes managing messages to andfrom the utility's customers, which may include outbound controlmessages in accordance with control arrangements pre-agreed to by theutility and customer, emergency demands for shedding or accepting apenalty tariff, and other general notices. The options also includemonitoring messages from a customer-utility reporting componentresident, e.g., at the user site, whereby the customer system canprovide essentially instantaneous reports on resource delivery outagesthe customer experiences and/or exception reports from a transformer orother local distribution equipment monitored by a customer RMS or acontrol center 150. In one embodiment, the messages from thecustomer-utility reporting component include: outage messages,identifying the loads affected by location and outage start time; anddistribution equipment exception event messages identifying theequipment experiencing an exception (complete failure, out of tolerancesstatus, etc.) by location and occurrence time. This permits the utilityto do geographical and time correlation of the events reported in themessages with other reported events from the utility customer base, aswell as expediting service.

In sum, the system may provide an interface for presenting to a utilityreporting options to derive reports, based on data stored in the systemdatabases including: resource consumption by user, resource billing byuser, maximum rates of resource consumption by user, rates of resourceconsumption associated with overloading power lines to provide power toloads controlled by the system, rates of resource consumption associatedwith overloading transformers providing power to loads controlled by thesystem, power quality measurements, and messages transmitted by theutility to a user. Further, the system may have a user interface forpresenting to a utility controls to initiate actions including:switching “off” one or more pre-agreed loads, adjusting the operatingrate for one or more pre-agreed loads, adjusting the applicable tariff,sending load or tariff messages to one or more users of the system andinitiating flow of resources from a user's generating facility.

In one embodiment, the system may be implemented as software on anysuitable processor with appropriate sensor inputs. Here, the software isprovided as an article of manufacture that comprises a computer readablemedium having stored thereon a computer program for managing use of aconsumable resource using an intelligent load controller at anassociated load, the controller comprising: a resource measuringcomponent for measuring the rate of use of the resource by theassociated load, including measuring at least one of an instantaneoususage rate and a usage rate over an integration period; a load statuscomponent for receiving load status data for the associated load; and acommunication component for receiving control messages from and sendingload status messages to other associated controllers; wherein thecomputer program comprises: a load control goal set; and a load controlcomponent responsive to the resource measuring component, the loadstatus component, the control messages from other associated controllersand the load control goal set, to determine a load operating level for,and provide control commands to, the associated load.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the presentinvention have been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to bestexplain the principles of the invention and its practical application,to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize theinvention and various embodiments with various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system for assisting the supply of aconsumable resource used by a plurality of loads of a user receiving theresource from one or more suppliers, comprising: a plurality ofuser-located load level intelligent controllers, each associated with atleast one user load connected in a supplier network that supplies theresource to loads, each such controller comprising: a load resourcemeasuring component for measuring the rate of use of the resource by theat least one associated load and measuring voltage, current and phaseangle data for calculating power quality supplied to the at least oneassociated load of the load level controller; a load status componentfor monitoring load status data for the at least one associated load;and a communication component for exchanging control and load statusmessages with other associated load level controllers and at least onegroup controller for the plurality of load level intelligentcontrollers; a connection for applying user's stored reserves of theconsumable resource or user generating capacity to the supplier network,said connection being in communication with at least one load levelcontroller or group controller; and a control computer program executingon at least one load level controller or group controller, said computerprogram being responsive to a trigger signal directly from a supplier orbased on power quality calculations of a load level controller toinitiate providing the supplier network access to at least one of theuser's stored reserves of the consumable resource or the user'sgenerating capacity.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggersignal is from a supply weakness sensor for sensing weakness in asupplier system for the resource.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein thetrigger signal is from a supply weakness sensor for sensing weakness ina supplier system for the resource from a calculation of power weaknessindicators.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the trigger signal is oneof a command from a supplier or a message initiated or received by atleast one load level controller or group controller requiring useraction.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the trigger signal is acommand from a supplier and the access is automatic.
 6. The system ofclaim 4 wherein the resource is electric power and at least one loadlevel intelligent controller has a measuring module for measuring one ormore dimensions of electric power flowing either to a user from the oneor more suppliers or from a user to the network that supplies theelectric power to loads.
 7. The system of claim 4 wherein the resourceis electric power and the user's stored reserves of the consumableresource comprise means for storing electric power.
 8. The system ofclaim 4 wherein the resource is electric power and the user's generatingcapacity comprise means for generating electric power.
 9. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the resource is electric power and the load resourcemeasuring component of at least one load level intelligent controllerhas a measuring module for sensing or computing at least one valueselected from the group consisting of: Per Phase WH, Per Phase VarH, PerPhase VaH, Per Phase RMS Current, Per Phase RMS Voltage, Frequency,Waveform capture of all Currents and Voltages, Under Voltage Detection,Over Voltage Detection, Over Current Detection, Phase Failure Detection,Phase Sequence Error Detection, Reverse Power Detection, and Sags andDips Detection or combinations thereof.
 10. The system of claim 1wherein when the user's generating capacity is started up in anemergency situation, the generating capacity is shut down when thesituation has stabilized.
 11. The system of claim 1 wherein the grouplevel controller comprises a control program configured to receive amessage directing it to deploy user generation capacity or to make itsown determination to assist, resource supply to the supplier network.